SURP Program Description and Application

2024 SURP Summer Program

The Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) at The University of Montana – through funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the Society of Toxicology – offers a summer educational experience for outstanding college undergraduate students. Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is a national program designed to attract undergraduates to research careers in the environmental health sciences and has been funding and training undergraduates for more than 15 years.

This summer (2024) will have a variety of projects approaching the thematic focus will be ImmunoToxicology. Projects will include environmental, particle, and medication exposures that affect the respiratory immune system. Immunotoxic studies will focus on several aspects of immunity including macrophage subsets, autoimmunity, and antimicrobial responses. Students in the program will be exposed to a variety of topics and techniques including tissue culture, animal models, clinical studies, epigenetics, as well as molecular, cellular, and biochemical methods.

This ten-week program (from May 22, 2024 to July 31, 2024) presents extraordinary opportunities to:

• Learn from experts about the philosophy and practice of biomedical research
• Gain extensive hands-on research experience working in a laboratory
• Stay in on-campus housing provided at no cost if from outside the Missoula area

SURP Attendees:

• Stipend for 2024 SURP Program Summer is $5,000
• Gain key skills to help them successfully apply to graduate research programs
• Formal and Informal presentation of their work in both written and oral forms of communication
• Eligible to present at the national SOT conference in 2025 March 16–20 64th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.

Eligibility

• Must have completed freshman college year prior to the initiation of the summer program (current Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors)
• Strong interest in science (and excellent grades)
• Self-motivated and a strong work ethic
• US citizen or permanent resident

Application Deadline:

Applications must be received by February 28, 2024. Applications received after March 15th will be considered only if slots are still available.

Completed Applications Consist of The Following Items

• A cover letter from the applicant (form below) which includes:
  • Describing your background and interest in science, personal strengths, and plans for the future.
  • Explaining how your participation will relate to your educational and/or professional goals.
• Two letters of recommendation from science teachers (freshman college applicants may request a former high school science teacher for the recommendation).
• A copy of your most recent transcript (unofficial acceptable).

Please make sure of the following

• Please attach unofficial transcript to the application.
• Have your recommender send letters to cehs@mso.umt.edu. In the subject line, please label this email as follows: SURP 2024 Recommendation for LAST NAME of APPLICANT. Then, attach the recommendation.

Questions

Questions can be addressed to: andrij.holian@umontana.edu or christopher.migliaccio@umontana.edu. Drs. Holian and Migliaccio are co-advisors for the SURP program. 

Program Administrator: Paulette Jones - paulette.jones@umontana.edu

Note:

You must fill this form out completely in one session. In other words, you will not be able to save your progress and return later to finish your submission. Please keep that in mind when completing the form below. All * (asterick items) must be completed.

Please attach unofficial transcript to the application. If unable to attach, please send files to cehs@mso.umt.edu

Recommendations are to be sent per instructions above to cehs@mso.umt.edu  Place "SURP 2024 Recommendation for LAST NAME of APPLICANT" in the subject line.