ASPET-Sponsored Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program
The Department of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center invites undergraduate students to perform research during the summer at Vanderbilt University. The objective of this program is to introduce students to biomedical research, and to help them gain an understanding of recent advances in pharmacological research through interactions with various faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students within the department. Research in the Department of Pharmacology currently emphasizes the following areas:
- Receptor identification, structural elucidation and signal transduction
- Structure-function of ligand-operated and voltage-gated ion channels
- Arachidonic acid metabolism and cellular regulation by novel arachidonic acid metabolites
- Control of protein function by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation
- Regulation of gene expression
- Genetic and molecular biological analysis of signal transduction pathways
- Cell-cell communication
- Neural or cardiovascular development and differentiation
- Cardiovascular pharmacology
- Neuropharmacology
- Medicinal chemistry
- Genetic basis of inherited disease
- Regulation of neurotransmitter release and synaptic events
Each student will have a separate research project and will work in a laboratory under the direct supervision of a faculty preceptor. A Data Club of summer students will meet regularly throughout the summer, and several social activities are planned as well.
This program is administered in conjunction with Vanderbilt’s Summer Science Academy. Additional information about the Summer Science Academy, including an application for the Summer Undergraduate Program in Pharmacology, can be found on the web at: https://medschool.mc.vanderbilt.edu/ssa/
Eligibility Requirements:
- Students should have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Students should have a strong desire to pursue an advanced degree (Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.)
- The Program is open to all. Students of an underrepresented ethnic background (African-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American) are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Completed online application is due FEBRUARY 1.
Steps to participate in the Program:
- Submit an online application form (DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 1) at:
- Once the application deadline has passed, they will be reviewed, with selections into the program made and communicated to the applicants. Positions supported by this Program are limited. Invitations to participate will be made to those selected.
In the meantime:
- Check out our faculty mentor listing for a description of faculty research activities (see below for potential summer mentors).
- Contact your faculty member of choice directly to obtain information about the possibility of working in his or her laboratory for the summer. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SECURE A HOST MENTOR FOR THE PROGRAM.
- Upon his or her approval, please ask your selected mentor to confirm their acceptance of you into their laboratory to the Program Coordinator (see contact information below). Agreement from a mentor accepting you into his or her lab is NOT a guarantee of acceptance into the program.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact:
Karen Gieg, Graduate Education Program Coordinator
Vanderbilt University, Department of Pharmacology
451 Preston Research Building
Nashville, TN 37232-6600
Phone Number: (615) 322-1182
Fax Number: (615) 936-3910
E-mail address: karen.gieg@vanderbilt.edu
Click here for current information on the 2010 Summer Program.
Click here for information on 2010 Potential Program Mentors.
