Summer Research

The Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience offers summer research programs for undergraduate and high school students through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program. The goal of these programs is to provide research experiences that help students evaluate their interest and potential in a biomedical research career and to provide practical training in the use of current research techniques.

Research experience provided for the students includes:

• Opportunities to work directly with a faculty member, graduate students and technicians
• Conducting research on a specific aspect of a project
• Learning specific techniques needed for the research project
• Reading relevant literature for the project
• Developing ideas of their own
• Participating in laboratory research meetings
• Presenting work in the UNMC Summer Undergraduate Research Program Poster session
• Being listed as co-author on publications resulting from the research project
• Training in Laboratory Safety, Radioactivity Safety, Ethics in Biomedical Research, and specific techniques required for the project

In addition to department research experience, students will have the opportunity to attend other activities focused on research, including:

• Presentations by the faculty on research being conducted in the department
• Weekly research forums where graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty present their research
• Formal research seminars by faculty from outside the department and/or UNMC
• Monthly graduate student meetings
• UNMC Summer Undergraduate Research Seminars
• UNMC Summer Undergraduate Poster Session

Travis B. Lewis Scholarship

The Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience hosts an open competition for the Travis B. Lewis Scholarship Award for outstanding high school students desiring a career in science and medicine. This award is made possible through a generous private donation and provides a summer stipend, an award plaque and the opportunity to work for up to 10 weeks in a premiere research program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Students will work side-by-side with faculty and graduate students in state-of-the-art facilities. Investigators study HIV-1 associated dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Objectives for the Travis B. Lewis Scholarship include:

• Broadening a student’s scientific knowledge and awareness of neurodegenerative disorders
• Promoting student interest in science and research
• Teaching scientific techniques and the principles of hypothesis-driven research
• Providing an opportunity to participate in world-class research in the areas of virology, immunology neurodegeneration and neuroregeneration

Students with strong academic qualifications in science and mathematics are invited to complete the online application. High school applicants must be 16 years of age.