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Louisiana Biomedical Research Network

LBRN Summer Research Program

LBRN Summer Research Program

Event Date: May 27 – Aug 3, 2024

Deadline: April 12, 2024

Program Info

Limited funds will be available to the PUIs/Undergraduate and Graduate research student workers on LBRN funded projects.

Faculty receiving the summer funding are required to carryout research.

Students can apply to remain on their own campus or they can apply to work in the nearby flagship institution (Louisiana State University, LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Tulane Medical Center, or Tulane National Primate Research Center).

All undergraduate and graduate students are required to present the poster at LSU A&M at SURF scheduled on August 02, 2024. Travel and lodging expenses will be covered by LBRN.

Our Summer Research Program is a research based summer program for faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students attending a Louisiana college or university. The program will be held May 27 – Aug 3, 2024

The Louisiana Biomedical Research Network (LBRN) sponsors a summer research program in support of undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty from any Louisiana institute. We offer qualified participants the opportunity to work in established research laboratories at Louisiana State University, LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Tulane Medical Center, or Tulane National Primate Research Center. The goal of our program and funding is to support biomedical research through an increase in graduate school admissions in these scientific fields and make Louisiana researchers more competitive in obtaining federal funding for research.

The schedule for undergraduate students covers ten weeks during the summer; the summer program dates are May 27 – Aug 3, 2024. The schedule for graduate students and faculty is more flexible. It is expected that an agreement be reached between the program participant (undergraduate student, graduate student or funded faculty) and the intended mentor. It is expected that the agreement to mentor an LBRN participant is a mutual one between the intended mentor and the funded participant.

Undergraduate Completed Application Must include:
  1. Statement of Interest. A 500 word statement should include:
    • Why you should be chosen for this program
    • What life experiences you have had that could contribute to a laboratory group
    • What you plan to do with your science future
  2. Three letters of recommendation from college or university faculty members, two of whom are in science (on department or college letterhead), which should be submitted via the application form link that will be provided when you begin the application by the faculty members. Please send them the link provided within the online application.
  3. An official copy of your current college or university transcript–to be sent by your college (best to request one after you receive your Fall/Winter semester final grades and so that it shows your courses for the Spring semester) **AND** upload an unofficial copy (PDF preferred) of your current college transcript. Note: Transcripts can be electronically sent to lbrn@lsu.edu from your college.

All documents will be submitted (uploaded) within the online Application.

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Graduate Completed Application Must include:
  1. Statement of Interest. Statement should include:
    • How this program will enhance your graduate research
    • What you plan to do with your science future
  2. Brief 1-2 page outline of your graduate research plan.
  3. Two letters of recommendation: one from a member of your graduate committee, one from your mentor(s) of the laboratory that you plan to work in (on department or college letterhead). In addition to addressing your potential for success in this project, the letters should also address the impact that this project will have on your thesis or dissertation research. The letters should be submitted by your committee member and mentor(s) via the application form link that will be provided when you begin the application. Please send them the link provided within the online application.
  4. An official copy of your current college or university transcript–to be sent by your college directly to (best to request one after you receive your Fall/Winter semester final grades and that it shows your courses for the Spring semester) **AND** submit an unofficial copy (PDF or JPEG) of your current college transcript. Note: Transcripts can be electronically sent to lbrn@lsu.edu from your college.

All documents will be submitted (uploaded) within the online Application Form. A copy of the instructions will be available here. [2024 LBRN SRP GS Instructions.pdf].

Please note the remaining documents are available within the form. You can begin the process now and update at anytime until the deadline.

Faculty Completed Application Must include:
  1. A brief research proposal with:
    • Cover Page
    • Proposed Budget
    • Budget Justification
    • Research Plan
    • Biosketch (PI and Mentors)
  2. Collaboration agreement from prospective Mentor(s).

All documents will be submitted (uploaded) within the online Application Form. A copy of the instructions available here. [2024 LBRN SRP Faculty Instructions.pdf]

Please note the remaining documents are available within the application. You can begin the process now and update at anytime until the deadline.

Requirements

The application process form INCLUDES all documentation and submissions from within the online application forms - the pre-application form must be completed in order to receive an application form link via e-mail.

Deadline: April 12, 2024

Note carefully the Application requirements. If these requirements are not met, the application is considered incomplete.

No prior laboratory research experience is needed for undergraduate students.

Women & members of under-represented minorities are urged to apply. Please note that priority will be given to applicants from primarily undergraduate institutes in Louisiana.

Undergraduate Student Requirements

  • Be enrolled in a College or University in the state of Louisiana (excluding LSU Baton Rouge and Tulane University).
  • Be a science major with at least a 3.0 GPA.
  • Consider pursuing a career in the Biological or Computational Sciences.
  • Have completed appropriate science introductory courses.
  • If on Visa must be eligible to work.

Graduate Student Requirements

  • Be enrolled in a graduate program in a College or University in the state of Louisiana (excluding LSU Baton Rouge & Tulane University)
  • Have at least a 3.0 GPA.
  • Consider pursuing a career in the Biological or Computational Sciences.

Faculty Requirements

  • Be a full time faculty in a College or University in the state of Louisiana (excluding LSU Baton Rouge & Tulane University).
  • Have research interests in the Biological or Computational Sciences.
  • Be interested in collaborating research projects.

Application

LBRN Summer Research Application Link

Undergrad Student Application Must Include:

  • Statement of Interest. A 500 word statement should include:
    • Why you should be chosen for this program
    • What life experiences you have had that could contribute to a laboratory group
    • What you plan to do with your science future
  • Three letters of recommendation from college or university faculty members, two of whom are in science (on department or college letterhead), which should be submitted via the application form link that will be provided when you begin the application by the faculty members. Please send them the link provided within the online application.
  • An official copy of your current college or university transcript–to be sent by your college (best to request one after you receive your Fall/Winter semester final grades and so that it shows your courses for the Spring semester) **AND** upload an unofficial copy (PDF preferred) of your current college transcript. Note: Transcripts can be electronically sent to lbrn@lsu.edu from your college.

All documents will be submitted (uploaded) within the online Application Form.

Please note the remaining documents are available within the form. You can begin the process now and update at anytime until the deadline.

Potential Mentor List.

However, mentors can be identified from currently funded LBRN PIs in PUI Campuses.

You can follow our recruiting visits, etc. by following our program on Twitter or liking us on Facebook.

Grad Student Application Must Include:

  • Statement of Interest, including:
    • How this program will enhance your graduate research
    • What you plan to do with your science future
  • Brief 1-2 page outline of your graduate research plan.
  • Two letters of recommendation: one from a member of your graduate committee, one from your mentor(s) of the laboratory that you plan to work in (on department or college letterhead). In addition to addressing your potential for success in this project, the letters should also address the impact that this project will have on your these or dissertation research. The letters should be submitted by your committee member and mentor(s) via the application form link that will be provided when you begin the application. Please send them the link provided within the online application.
  • An official copy of your current college or university transcript–to be sent by your college directly to (best to request one after you receive your Fall/Winter semester final grades and that it shows your courses for the Spring semester) **AND** submit an unofficial copy (PDF or JPEG) of your current college transcript. Note: Transcripts can be electronically sent to lbrn@lsu.edu from your college.

All documents will be submitted (uploaded) within the online Application Form. A copy of the instructions will be available here. Grad App Instruction

Please note the remaining documents are available within the form. You can begin the process now and update at anytime until the deadline.

Faculty Application Must Include:

  • A brief proposal with:
    • Cover Page
    • Proposed Budget
    • Budget Justification
    • Research Plan
    • Biosketch (PI and Mentors)
  • Collaboration agreement from prospective Mentor(s).

All documents will be submitted (uploaded) within the online Application Form. A copy of the instructions available here. Faculty Application Instruction

Please note the remaining documents are available within the application. You can begin the process now and update at anytime until the deadline.

Mentorship

Participant Expectations

The LBRN program expects that our participants perform full time research for the period of funding. We do not allow for other jobs, teaching or classes or vacations to be scheduled during the funding period; fellowships (undergraduate students), stipends (graduate students), and summer salaries (faculty) are sufficient to enable the funded participant to focus 100% on the research project during the funding period. The student participant may become involved in a research project that is ongoing in the chosen laboratory, or design a project in collaboration with the intended mentor.

Undergraduate Prospective Mentors

Potential Mentor List - this list is not all-inclusive, you can investigate laboratories at LSU online to contact prospective mentor.

However, mentors can be identified from currently funded LBRN PIs in PUI Campuses.

Undergraduate Mentor Expectations

As the mentor of an undergraduate student in our program, it is expected that you will oversee the training of the student participant and monitor their progress while they are working on the agreed upon project in your laboratory. As a mentor you can expect serious and professional work from your LBRN funded researcher while they are working in your laboratory. In addition to a wages to the undergraduate participant, we offer a supply fee of up to $1,000 per student to the research laboratory to help defer the cost of supplies for the funded project. Our undergraduate summer program culminates in the Summer Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) where our program participants, along with other undergraduate summer research students across the campus, are invited to present their research in the form of a poster. It is expected that an LBRN funded undergraduate will receive guidance from their research laboratory in preparing this presentation and that a portion of the supply fee will be set aside to produce the poster

Graduate Mentor Expectations

As the mentor of a faculty participant in our program it is expected that you will enter in to a collaborative relationship on an agreed upon project. You may expect to receive scientific and professional collaboration from the funded researcher. Equipment ordered for the funded research, unless otherwise specified, will belong to the funded researcher and will be housed at their home institution upon completion of the program funding period. You may also expect to have input in the determination of the requested supplies and equipment, which are part of the application process for faculty in our program. Our faculty summer program culminates in a written progress report of the research project. It is expected that an LBRN funded faculty researcher will receive guidance from their research laboratory and mentor in preparing this work and that the finished product be a professional progress report.

Faculty Mentor Expectations

As the mentor of a faculty participant in our program it is expected that you will enter in to a collaborative relationship on an agreed upon project. You may expect to receive scientific and professional collaboration from the funded researcher. Equipment ordered for the funded research, unless otherwise specified, will belong to the funded researcher and will be housed at their home institution upon completion of the program funding period. You may also expect to have input in the determination of the requested supplies and equipment, which are part of the application process for faculty in our program. Our faculty summer program culminates in a written progress report of the research project. It is expected that an LBRN funded faculty researcher will receive guidance from their research laboratory and mentor in preparing this work and that the finished product be a professional progress report.


Application to be an LBRN Prospective Mentor

If you are interested in being listed in our tables as a prospective mentor for the LBRN Grant, please fill out the following mentor application form. Our summer applicants may contact you directly once you are listed to find out if they can establish a collaboration or participate for the summer in your lab during the course of their application process; however, until they're accepted into our program you will not know if they're available to participate. You can contact our grant for more information regarding a potential participant.

Mentor Application

Contacts

Ojasvi Dutta

LBRN Program Manager
LSU School of Veterniary Medicine
VMED 3110A
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Send Email


Dr. Brent Stanfield

LBRN Program Coordinator
(225) 578-9688
School of Veterinary Medicine
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Send Email


Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible?

  • Students who are attending a university or college in the state of Louisiana, except LSU Baton Rouge and Tulane students.
  • Students who are not graduating between January through August of the same year as the summer program year.

What are the program dates?

  • The program date are May 27 – Aug 3, 2024 for Undergraduate and Graduate student participants.
  • Dates for Faculty participants may be flexible, need to be stated in your proposal application.
  • Due to the limited availability of housing during the summer, adjustments cannot be made to the start and end dates of the program to accommodate students with other scheduling conflicts.

Am I required to be on the LSU campus (or other research facility) for the full term?

  • Yes. Ten weeks may sound like a long time, but it is a very short period in which to do any meaningful research. Undergraduates must attend the opening meetings and participate in the poster session on the final day. You will also be required to attend weekly seminar meetings.

What hours do I work?

  • Since the LSU LBRN Summer Research Program is probably an undergraduate’s first attempt at real scientific research, it is hard to explain the variability. You will be expected to work when the work needs to be done. Experiments don’t always run on the timescale we’d like them to. You must be willing to work some late nights and lots of weekends.

Can I live off campus?

  • Yes, you may live anywhere you would like; however, our program can only pay for housing within the proscribed Campus Apartments or Dorms for students working at one of our approved mentoring institutions per the application.
  • If you reside in the same city as the mentoring institution; for students who currently live at home or already have an apartment in the mentoring city, please stay there and we cannot reimburse rents.

May I take classes or have another job during the summer program?

  • No. Ten weeks may sound like a long time, but it is a very short period in which to do any meaningful research. You will be working with your group and may not have free time; therefore, we do not allow student researchers to take classes or hold an outside job. You must be willing to devote your entire attention to the program.

From whom should I solicit Letters of Recommendation?

  • Your recommendation letters are very important. They should all be from faculty members who know you quite well. If somebody can only say that you made an ““A”” in their class, you’ve wasted a letter because we can look at your transcripts and know that. Two of your letters need to be from science faculty members, and one of these may be from your proposed mentor. Recommendation letters have to be submitted through our application process. See the Summer Research Program Letters of Recommendation page for instructions. The link to provide to your faculty is within your application form.

How do I choose a mentor professor and a project?

  • You are ultimately responsible for choosing your mentor and project. You will need to contact faculty members directly to ask about working with them. If you have any questions, please contact the LBRN office by email lbrn@lsu.edu.
  • When the mentor confirms to mentor you for the summer, this does not guarantee you being selected for the program, only available slot in his/her lab.

What type of training will I receive?

  • An individual research project will be assigned to you by your mentor (Undergraduates).
  • Training on and first-hand use of state-of-the-art laboratory instrumentation will be provided.
  • Group instruction will also be provided in general research issues and practices such as scientific ethics, chemical and radiation safety, laboratory notebook keeping, print and on-line scientific literature searches, presentation of research results, and scientific writing.

What are some of the activities planned for the program?

  • A welcome dinner
  • Tours to research facilities
  • Social activities
  • Weekly seminars by program mentors
  • A seminar presented by a representative of LSU Graduate School on tips and strategies for selecting and applying to graduate schools

What kind of financial support does the program provide?

  • Undergraduate students will earn up to $4,000 for the whole summer.
  • Graduate students will earn up to $6,000 for the whole summer.
  • Faculty will depend on your proposed budget, which cannot exceed $19,000 total cost.

How can I get an application and what is the deadline?

  • Applications are available online.
  • The application deadline is: April 12, 2024.

Is housing available?

  • The LBRN office can arrange for participants to stay at the LSU Campus Apartments if necessary. At these units you will live with other students (same gender) from one of our summer research programs. This is subject to change pending LSU Residential Housing arrangements.
  • The cost of housing will be covered by the LBRN Summer Undergraduate Research Program.

Where does the program take place?

  • Students can apply to remain on their own campus or they can apply to work in the nearby flagship institution (Louisiana State University, LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Tulane Medical Center, or Tulane National Primate Research Center).

Why should I apply to the Program?

  • To gain valuable research experience.
  • To prepare for a research career in the biomedical sciences.
  • To learn about opportunities available at the end of your undergraduate education.
  • To earn money over the summer.

How can I check the status of my application?

When and how will I be notified of my acceptance into the LBRN program?

  • Letters will be emailed by the end of April after the deadline.

Are meals provided during the summer?

  • The program does not offer a summer meal program; students will have the use of a kitchen and will be responsible for their own groceries and meals.
  • LSU does have some meal programs for the summer that you can purchase.
  • In addition, each campus may have separate meal programs. Please inquire at your affiliated campus.

Can personal vehicles be parked on the campus and is there a charge for parking?

  • LSU-Baton Rouge: Yes, you may park your personal vehicle on campus. Yes, there is a charge for parking. When you let us know if you are staying on or off campus we’ll let you know the cost for the parking permit.
  • Other campuses: Please contact your affiliated campus.

Resources

External Links