Rhodes and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital work together to offer qualified students an intensive research experience that pairs Rhodes students with St. Jude scientists and places students into the hospital’s professional laboratories for period of one summer, one academic year, and a possible second summer. Through this experience, students become fully engaged citizens in the scientific community of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a world-class clinical and research facility for pediatric patients. Students work on independent research projects, participate in lectures, group meetings, and onsite discussions, and present their work at local, national, and international venues. Many of the participants go on to pursue advanced degrees in medicine, pharmacy, veterinary science, neuroscience, genetics, biomedical engineering and many other related areas. There are 8 positions available, each starting in mid-May and continuing through early August of the following year. There is also an international Summer Plus experience available.

 

Benefits:

• Outstanding research experience in a world-class facility
• Interaction with scientists from a variety of disciplines and locations
• Participants receive F11 credit
• Research can be extended for elective or Honors Research credit after the two summer/two semester commitment ends.

 

What students say about their Summer Plus Experience:

• This program exceeded my expectations in terms of the degree to which I was exposed to state-of-the-art research technologies and brilliant scientists form all over the world.
• This experience has helped me discover myself as a person, has challenged me to become a life-long student, and has made me a better scientist.
• I have a much better idea how I′m able to apply the science I have learned in class to meaningful scientific questions.
• Working at St. Jude has solidified my interest in the sciences and motivates me to pursue a career as a physician to help those in need.
• This program has been formative and inspiring my science career, and I will be reaping innumerable benefits for years to come.
• This program has been instrumental in reshaping how I view the impact of biomedical research.
• I  learned many things about myself and changed how I envision my future in the medical profession.
  

Those eligible to apply:

• First year students
• Sophomores
• Juniors (who will be seniors during the academic portion of the program. It is possible to complete the second summer of the program after graduation)
• Students in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, neuroscience, physics, psychology
• For the Summer Plus International position, applicants should have completed Spanish 102
  

Required Commitment to the program:

• One to two summers, each 12 weeks of full-time work (40hr/week). Students are paid a stipend of $9.70 hr. Student summer housing (on the Rhodes campus) is covered by the program.
• Two semesters of unpaid work at 8 - 10 hr/week for science credit to be determined by your major (typically 2 credits / semester). In most cases, this can count as upper level credit in the major.
• Preference is given to students willing to commit to a second paid summer.
  

Research areas include:

• Biochemistry
• Developmental Neurobiology
• Genetics and Tumor Cell Biology
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases
• Oncology
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Radiological Sciences
• Structural Biology

Summer Plus International Position

 

This year we will be offering an opportunity for one Rhodes student to engage in a clinical research and/or a clinical shadowing experience at one of St. Jude’s International Outreach sites. This international program will be structured in a similar fashion to the Memphis-based Summer Plus program, but has a component that is carried out at the Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, Chile. It could involve spending time with the St. Jude mentor over the summer in Memphis to prepare for your work in Chile during the semester, or the work abroad might occur during one or both of the summer periods. The exact structure will be determined once a finalist is chosen. Two or three applicants for this position will be selected for interviews in which the match between the student’s interests and skills and the work being done at the international site are explored. This discussion will include how the individual student’s program might be best structured to match his or her needs with the ongoing work in Memphis and abroad. 

Students interested in exploring this special international opportunity should submit the regular Summer Plus application, paying attention to any requests on the form for additional information. Students applying for the international position should submit two letters of recommendation (using the form below); one pertaining to their scientific skills and another pertaining to their language skills. All applicants should have completed Spanish 102. Rather than select mentors from the list of Summer Plus faculty, applicants for the international position should familiarize themselves with the St. Jude International Outreach Program (http://www.stjude.org/international), and in their essay explain their interest in both this program and study abroad. 

When and how to apply?

• Student interested should attend one of the information sessions: November 24, noon-1:00pm; December 12, noon-1pm- both in Frazier-Jelkie C lecture hall. Students should fill out the application below and have a professor fill out the recommendation form. Both forms are to be returned to Dr. Ann Viano by January 19, 2010.
• The application asks for a choice of St. Jude mentors. Students should look through the list of available mentors  and make a first and second choice based on their interests and goals for the program.
• The Rhodes selection committee, composed of diverse group of faculty, will choose 8 finalists from the applications by the end of January. Selection is based on motivation for and commitment to the program, performance in course and lab work, and recommendation by the faculty evaluator. Those finalists selected will be interviewed by the St. Jude faculty in early February.
• Download and complete the application form (MS Word) , and return it to Dr. Ann Viano by 5 pm, January 19, 2010. The application asks for genearl information, your preference of St. Jude mentors, and two brief essays; one discussing your time commitments for the duration of the program and the other discussing how the program fits with your career goals. Your responses to these questions will be carefully considered by the selection committee.
• Download the recommendation form (MS Word) . Complete the top portion, and then forward it, along with your request, to one faculty member (preferably a science professor). For the International position, please ask two faculty members to submit letters; one pertaining to your scientific abilities and one to your Spanish language skills. Recommenders must complete their letters and return to Dr. Ann Viano by January 19, 2010.

 

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