Biostatistics and Medical Informatics
School of Medicine and Public Health
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Summer Research for Undergraduate Students

Summer Research Opportunity Program
Biomedical Data Science
May 28 – August 3, 2024

Applications for Summer 2024 will open November 1, 2023, Apply here

 

The summer research program in Biomedical Data Science (BDS) gives undergraduate students the opportunity to explore careers in biostatistics, bioinformatics, and biomedical big data by working closely with faculty and staff mentors. Such an experience is ideal for students with strength in mathematics and computer sciences who enjoy working with computers and numbers and wish to apply their skills to solving real world problems in biomedical research.  There is a wide variety of research activities, including brain image analysis, clinical trials, electronic health records, epidemiology, genomics, experimental design and analysis of laboratory studies.

 

Participants in the 2021 program worked as a team on a new the new Genomic Variant Interpretation project. Read about our 2021 Program

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Goals

The general goals of BDS program are to provide qualified undergraduates with an opportunity to:
• Gain direct research experience in the field of biomedical data science
• Learn tools and skills that will promote successful admission to post-baccalaureate programs
• Explore career opportunities in biomedical data science

Activities

Students will participate in various research-related activities:
• Work one-on-one with a faculty/staff mentor on a chosen research topic,
• Participate in workshops covering statistical methods, research topics of interest, ethics related to scientific research, and professional career opportunities
• Enjoy scholarly, cultural, and social activities with participants in other summer research programs on the University of Wisconsin – Madison campus,
• Present their work at the end of the summer to other participants (and maybe even at other conferences: SACNAS; ABRCMS; ENAR; JSM)

Financial Support

The BDS program is designed to be accessible to undergraduates who might not otherwise have this kind of research opportunity. There is no cost for program participation. In addition, a stipend is provided to each student, and housing and travel costs are covered. Underrepresented minority, low-income, and first-generation college students are strongly encouraged to apply, as are students from smaller institutions without broad research facilities.

Eligibility

  • Strong interest in learning about biomedical data science
  • Undergraduate student status for Fall 2024
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents enrolled in an accredited college/university, majoring in either a quantitative science or in biology, and have successfully completed at least one year of calculus.
  • Preference will be given to students who will have completed their junior year and who have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.

A primary objective for our summer program is providing research experience to students who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity. We encourage applications from all eligible undergraduate students, examples of student groups that particularly benefit from this program include:

  • Students who attend small colleges with limited research resources
  • Identifying as historically underrepresented
  • Low income background
  • First in the family to attend college

Apply Now!

Learn More

To learn more about our graduate, certificate and summer programs and application procedures contact the administrative program director:

Shelley Maxted
maxted@wisc.edu