Our Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship Program offers UCLA undergraduates the opportunity to conduct research with a faculty mentor during the summer.
Applications for Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Summer Research Fellowships are now being accepted. The chemistry or biochemistry faculty mentor must agree to supervise the student during the summer. For more information and/or to obtain an application, visit the Summer Research Fellowship information and application website here. Fellowship stipends are awarded in the amount of $3,500 each.
Summer Research applications can be submitted via e-mail to Denise Mantonya, denise@chem.ucla.edu, or dropped off in person to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Advising Office, 4006 Young Hall, no later than Wednesday, March 13, 2019, by 4 pm.
Questions about the fellowships should be directed to Denise Mantonya at denise@chem.ucla.edu, 310-825-4660.
(Left) 2018 Daniel E. Kivelson Research Fellow Omar Ebrahim with his graduate student mentor Marco Messina (Maynard group). (Right) Professor Jose Rodriguez with former 2018 CARE SEM SPUR Scholar and undergraduate researcher Evelyn Hernandez, now a graduate student at UCSF.
Not only is summer research experience typically one of the most meaningful parts of an undergraduate education, it also enables students to pursue science research rather than having to accept a summer job in an unrelated field (e.g. Starbucks, etc.). For many students, experiencing research in a lab is a real game-changer — many who previously thought they were headed to pharmacy, medical, or dental school, realize how exciting research is, and begin to consider research as a career.
“Prior to coming to UCLA I had no idea what scientific research was or that a career could be made out of it. I thought the only thing you could do with a science degree was go to medical school” said former undergraduate researcher alumna Evelyn Hernandez (’18) who conducted research in Professor Jose Rodriguez’s group, currently a graduate student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (TETRAD) Ph.D. program at the University of California, San Francisco. “Being in the Rodriguez lab changed this for me and I loved my time there. Not only did I get to perform cool experiments, but I was given the opportunity to work closely with faculty, postdocs, and graduate students that were amazing mentors to me.”
By conducting research during the summer, students gain skills that help them in their lab courses and, as a result, they excel in classes they may have previously dreaded. They develop a network of friends and colleagues who can be very helpful when looking for employment and discovering other opportunities.
“My summer internship allowed me to distinguish the difference between being a student and being a scientist,” said 2018 Daniel E. Kivelson Research Fellow Omar Ebrahim, an undergraduate student studying organic chemistry and materials science, who conducted summer research in Professor Heather Maynard’s laboratory. “There is a tremendous difference between learning from a textbook and actually struggling with the mystifying mess that ends up in your flask.”
These life-changing fellowships are made possible thanks to the support of our alumni and friends. To learn how to contribute to the program or to establish a new named fellowship, please contact Brooke M. Sanders, Executive Director of Development, Physical Sciences, at bsanders@support.ucla.edu or 310-794-9045. Your gift of any size will directly impact one of our world-class students and aspiring scientists!
Article and photos by Penny Jennings, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
