IDBI Summer Program in Undergraduate Research (IDBI-SPUR)
91女神's IDBI Summer Program in Undergraduate Research (IDBI-SPUR) provides paid summer research opportunities and structured training activities for 91女神 undergraduate students working in IDBI-member laboratories.
IDBI-SPUR is not currently accepting applications. Please check back in February 2025.
IDBI-SPUR aims to increase the number of undergraduates who can participate in research by providing stipends for summer research. To enhance the research and educational experience, IDBI-SPUR includes structured cohort activities (e.g. research training activities, midsummer gatherings) and requires participation in the fall IDBI Research Symposium. Additionally, students are encouraged to present their research at research symposia locally, such as the spring 91女神 Sigma Xi Research Symposium, regionally, and nationally.
All undergraduates working in IDBI member labs are invited to participate in IDBI-SPUR cohort activities and the IDBI Research Symposium.
IDBI-SPUR has two funding opportunities for undergraduate research stipends: part-time summer research through the SURGE IDBI-SPUR program and full-time summer research through the DeNardo IDBI-SPUR program. IDBI welcomed our first six part-time SURGE students in 2022. In 2023, IDBI won a grant from the DeNardo Education and Research Foundation to support four full-time summer undergraduate researchers.
No prior experience is required to apply for either program.
SURGE IDBI-SPUR
- Flexible experience for those planning to participate in shadowing, volunteering,
classes or other summer activities
- 20 hours/week, eight-week summer research internships
- Cohort training and social activities
- Required presentation at the fall IDBI Research Symposium
- Supported by 91女神-SURGE (Scholarly Undergraduate Research Grants and Experiences)
DeNardo IDBI-SPUR
- Full-time experience for those seeking a more in-depth research opportunity
- 40 hours/week, 10-week summer research fellowship
- Cohort training and social activities
- Required presentation at the fall IDBI Research Symposium
- Supported by the DeNardo Education and Research Foundation
Faculty interested in volunteering to mentor a SURGE or DeNardo student should contact IDBI Co-Director Blythe Janowiak (blythe.janowiakmulligan@slu.edu)
Program History
In the summer of 2022, 91女神-IDBI formalized our summer research program by working with the University to incorporate the inaugural Scholarly Undergraduate Research Grants and Experiences (SURGE) program. SURGE funding provides part-time paid internships for eight weeks for 91女神 students to work in 91女神-IDBI labs. In addition to the three SURGE-IDBI interns, six more students entered member labs directly through the University SURGE program. The culmination of the summer research program was celebrated by inviting all IDBI trainees to present research posters at the inaugural IDBI Research Symposium in the fall of 2022. At the symposium, eight IDBI undergraduate summer researchers presented their work, and two shared the honor of best poster.
In the spring of 2023, IDBI received a DeNardo Education and Research Foundation grant to expand undergraduate research opportunities within IDBI member labs. With this funding, IDBI can offer the DeNardo IDBI-SPUR program to support four undergraduate students for full-time summer research. The extended time frame will allow the student researchers to fully immerse themselves into the lab community and in a hypothesis-driven research project from beginning to end. Student participants are invited and encouraged to continue their research into the academic year, earning academic credit.
Program | Fellow Name | Mentor Name | IDBI Research Symposium Abstract Title |
---|---|---|---|
2024 DeNardo | Imandi Mendis | Blythe Janowiak | Unknown Environment Microorganisms Producing Antibiotic Activity Against ESKAPE Pathogens |
2024 DeNardo | Yash Tadikonda | Susana Gonzalo-Hervas | Roles of Cathepsin L (CTSL) in cancerous cells |
2024 DeNardo | Mia Ridolfo | Koyal Garg | Modeling of Neuromuscular Junctions with a Tissue Culture Device |
2024 DeNardo | Gregory Giovine | Marv Meyers |
Program | Fellow Name | Mentor Name | IDBI Research Symposium Title |
---|---|---|---|
2023 DeNardo | Brooklyn Richardson |
Marv Meyers |
Structure-Activity Relationship for PDE Series of Anti-Cryptosporidium Leads |
2023 DeNardo | Sachi Sharma | Fran Sverdrup | The Effect of the Transcriptional Repressor ZBTB18 on DUX4 Gene Expression Associated With Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) |
2023 DeNardo | F. Andrea Yeargin | Susana Gonzalo | ISG15 Exacerbates Replication Fork Instability in Progeria |
2023 DeNardo | Ben Kitten | Daniel Warren | The effects of anoxia on redox state and mitochondrial membrane potential in turtle cortical neurons |
2023 SURGE | Rutuja Deoskar | Ian de Vera | Discovery of a Novel Agonist that binds the Putative Pocket of Orphan Nuclear Receptor Nurr1 |
2023 SURGE | Davis Guilliams | Edwin Antony | Diffusional migration of Replication Protein A on ssDNA |
2023 SURGE | Abtin Alizedeh | Yasar Caliskan | |
2023 SURGE | Harshith Kumar Gorla | Amina Mohammadalipour | The Roles of CD44 and Matrix Metalloproteinases in Cancer Cell Migration Through ECM Stiffness |
2023 SURGE |
Nicholas Southerland | Judith Ogilvie | Synaptic Circuits of Giant Bipolar Cells In the Macaque Retina |
2023 SURGE |
Varenya Chilukuri | Fenglian Xu | Exploring progranulin鈥檚 effects on mitophagy signaling under hyperglycemic conditions |
2022 SURGE | Laura Hopkins | Adriana Montan虄o | Characterization and Pharmacokinetic Study of biodegradable hydrogels for sustained release of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS) into Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA) affected mice |
2022 SURGE | Edel Edorh | Aubin Moutal | The suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) targets the long isoform of the prolactin receptor for lysosomal degradation |
2022 SURGE | Tamima Hasan | James Brien | The Use of Yeast Surface Display to Interrogate Polyclonal Antibody Responses During Infection and Vaccination. |
2022 SURGE | Dylan Bjorn | Blythe Janowiak | Impact of glutathione synthesis on the adult murine immune system during Group B Streptococcus infection |
2022 SURGE* | Sradha Ajithkumar | Aubin Moutal | Evaluation of the Notch pathway expression and activation in models of neuropathic pain |
2022 SURGE* | Faith Yeargin | Fenglian Xu | |
2022 SURGE* | Kaitie Rogers | Fran Sverdrup | |
2022 SURGE* | Sharon Lee | Judith Ogilvie | |
2022 SURGE* | Ibrahim Ashruf | Vincenza Cifarelli | |
*PI Awarded |