Summer Educational Experience for Research in Toxicology

The primary objective of the Summer Education Experience in Research (SEER) in Toxicology is to provide 6 students with an opportunity to participate actively in ongoing research together with an educational seminar series that provides a background in research in environmental health sciences. The immediate goals are to provide a research experience for students at a critical time of career decision-making and to develop the research skills and expose the students to the potential and excitement of research careers. The long-term goal is to recruit these students into the Toxicology doctoral program. Students will have hands-on responsibilities in research projects in which reasonable conclusions can be obtained in a 9-week period, and will spend 85% of their time in the laboratory. Research opportunities in specialty areas of Oxidative Stress, DNA Repair and Mutagenesis, Biochemical Toxicology, and Chlorinated Organics and Cardiovascular Toxicity are provided by a group of 17 faculty with experience in mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. Students will work with faculty who are primarily Core and Joint Faculty in the Graduate Center for Toxicology and who are Training Grant Faculty on the Molecular Mechanisms of Toxicity NIEHS T32 Training Grant or the Superfund Training Core. Students will be recruited from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) as the continuation of a program for students from UPR that has been cosponsored by the University of Kentucky (UK) and UPR for about 9 years, and was supported by an NIEHS T35 program from 2001 - 2006. We will work with experienced faculty from the UPR to identify and recruit students for the SEER in Toxicology program. Applicants must provide their student transcripts and will be interviewed by the UPR faculty to identify those with the maturity and academic excellence to succeed in a summer research experience. The UPR faculty will send the applications of the best students to Dr. Yore, who will review them along with 2 other UK faculty mentors, and select the top 6 applicants. This group will also match the interests of the applicants with those of the faculty who are able to work with the students in any given summer. A seminar series that exposes students to the broader issues in the environmental health sciences is also provided, along with seminars on the responsible conduct of research, and a presentation of how to prepare and apply for Graduate School. Students will make a 15-min presentation of their research findings in a symposium-type format at the end of the summer. A plan for evaluating student satisfaction, the effectiveness of mentors and the program has been developed and will be used to enhance the program in ensuing years.