skip to Main Content

 

WHAT TO EXPECT IF ACCEPTED

1. You will be assigned to a Coordinating Center (CC)
The CC serves as the STEP-UP student’s primary contact for any administrative or programmatic needs during the summer research experience. The CC will provide direct oversight for all student activities. Once assigned to a CC, students will be asked to provide proof of health insurance and their government issued photo ID.

2. You will work with your assigned CC to select your Research Location and Mentor
Students DO NOT necessarily have to conduct their research at a CC. Instead, students can work with their CC to identify and secure a research institution and research mentor closer to their home. Research can be conducted at colleges or universities, hospitals, departments of public health, private research institutions, and so on. We highly recommend that students conduct research at institutions within commuting distances of their homes because housing or funds for housing elsewhere is not provided by STEP-UP.

Please be aware that your assigned research may not necessarily match your research interests; however, we will do our best to match you with a great research experience. If there is a research mentor and/or institution that you are interested in, we strongly recommend that you speak with staff at your assigned CC as soon as you receive notification of acceptance. We encourage, but do not require, that students pursue research within the NIDDK mission areas of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; or kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases. Staff at CCs will attempt to match students with research mentors within NIDDK core mission areas before matching students with research mentors outside of the NIDDK core mission areas.

3. You will complete the required trainings and begin summer research
The start dates for the high school program is determined by the CC and research mentor; however, high school students must begin the program no later than 6/10/2019. All students are expected to have a minimum of eight weeks of research experience during their STEP-UP experience. Please note that vacations during this period are not allowed. Trainings can be accessed on our website at: About>For Accepted Interns.

4. Select students will attend the Annual Summer Research Symposium in Washington, DC
Students from each Pacific region will be selected to attend the annual research symposium to present their research project to other national STEP-UP participants and research professionals. The symposium will be held on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD (August 4-8, 2019 for high school students). Airfare, food, transportation, and hotel accommodations will be provided. Students will be required to attend all of the activities of the symposium, to include a variety of career development workshops and social activities, and deliver both poster and oral presentations of their summer research projects.

Back To Top