Junior Fellows in the Life Sciences
About the Program:
The year long Jr. Fellows Program supports the research of outstanding Seniors majoring in the life sciences. Each Jr. Fellow will receive a $1,000 award and take part in a 1 credit course that will involve discussion of their research projects as well as other topics in modern cell and molecular biology, neuroscience, biomedicine, and research ethics. Junior Fellows play a central role in organizing the UMass Undergraduate Life Science Research Symposium in the Spring semester. Each Fall and Spring semesters will conclude with a public poster or seminar session.
Eligibility:
Students eligible to apply to the Jr. Fellows Program include life science majors in their Junior year with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better. You must be a senior during academic year 2009-2010 to be eligible to apply.
Deadlines:
*Application deadline is May 4, 2009*
Application Requirements:
There are four parts to the application that must be completed for full consideration:
1. The Student Application Form. You can fill out this form on your computer (with Adobe or other PDF viewing software) and print it and include it with your application package.
2. The personal statement: This essay is a very important part of the application. Please write a one to two page
essay (of no more than 1500 words) describing your research interests, academic history, career goals, and any
other experiences that will help us assess your application.
3. A 1-2 page summary of your proposed research project for the year.
4. Unofficial copy of your transcript. This can be downloaded from your SPIRE account and printed and
attached to the Student Application Form. Please note that any editing of your transcript is considered
fraudulent and will immediately disqualify you from admission to the program.
5. A letter of reference from your Faculty Sponsor (the lab you will be working in during the year) and a second
letter of reference. The second letter should be from someone who can comment on your academic abilities and
aptitude for research. If you do not already have a faculty research sponsor, you are responsible for finding one
who is willing to supervise your research project in his/her lab for the duration of the year. Give a
recommendation form to your two faculty references and have them return them to you for you to include with
your application package.
The complete package can be dropped off at the HHMI Undergraduate Science Program in room 241D
Integrated Science Building. It is your responsibility to make sure your application is complete. You will
not be notified if any part of your application package is missing
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact:
Sebastian Z. Ramos
szramos@bio.umass.edu
413-577-4147
Current Junior Fellows:
Past Junior Fellows:
2007-2008 Junior Fellows
2006-2007 Junior Fellows.