CANCER BIOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL
SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM

Stanford University School of Medicine

Program Description

The Cancer Biology High School Summer Research Program is a 6-week summer program in which local high school students, from diverse backgrounds, will be invited to learn how to do basic research while working closely with Stanford faculty, students, and researchers on a research project.  The goal of the program is to get high school students interested in the biological sciences and biological research, and to equip them with an experience that will help them become leaders in the scientific community and contribute to its diversity.        

What will students gain from this experience and what are the program’s expectations?

• Learn how to perform certain basic laboratory techniques.  Program participants will be placed in a lab within the Cancer Biology Ph.D. Program (http://www.stanford.edu/group/ cancerbio/) or another program within the Biosciences and will be expected to work in a laboratory for 6 weeks, Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week.  Each participant will be instructed by an assigned “mentor” (a Stanford graduate student or postdoctoral fellow) on research techniques, laboratory protocols, and the scientific fundamentals of their research project.  At the end of the program, each student will receive a $1500 stipend for their work.    

• Learn how to analyze, interpret, and communicate scientific data from their own experiments or published experiments.  Students are expected to read and comprehend scientific literature (journal articles, reviews, textbooks, etc) that describe the fundamentals of their project.  This is critical for data analysis and interpretation.  Students are also expected to give one informal “Chalk Talk” and a formal Powerpoint presentation on their project at the end of the summer.

• Learn the basic principles of cancer biology and biological research.  Students will meet once a week with the program coordinators who will instruct them on the basic principles of Cancer Biology and standard laboratory techniques.  Students will be expected to attend these lectures, participate in discussions, and read any relevant literature provided by the coordinators.  Some lectures will require the students to complete problem sets.

• Learn more about Stanford’s Ph.D. degree programs in the biological sciences and the resources available to scientists at Stanford.  The program coordinators will educate the students on the various career paths in biology and what it means to have Ph.D. in biology.  Students are also expected to attend weekly “field trips” on campus to various facilities on or near campus (ie, the Stanford Cancer Center, Stanford Genome Center, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center).   

• Make important connections!  Students are expected to make a good impression on their research mentor and on their sponsoring faculty and laboratory.  By doing so, the students are encouraged to request letters of recommendation for college, scholarship, or job applications.  A good letter from a Stanford faculty will speak highly of you anywhere!  Students will also get to interact with other students from local high schools and with current Stanford graduate students.       

Program Dates and Application Deadline

The program will begin on July 7, 2008 and end on August 15, 2008.  Applications must be post-marked by April 4, 2008 and sent to the address below.  Finalists will be interviewed over the phone and selected students will be notified in early to mid May, 2008.    

Eligibility and Application Requirements

• Strong candidates are students who would bring diversity to the biological and biomedical sciences by reason of their culture, class, race, ethnicity, background, work and life experiences, skills and interests.
• Applications are especially encouraged from students who are Black/African Americans, Latino/Chicano Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders.
• Must currently be a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior high school student at a local high school.  Preference will be given to rising Juniors and Seniors.
• Must have completed biology and math courses with a B or better.  However, you can explain any circumstances that prevented you from demonstrating your academic potential in the personal essay (See Participant Application Form).
• Must be committed to working 40 hrs a week and participate the entire duration of the program.
• Must have an intereste in science and have demonstrated intelligence, maturity and initiative.