KUH Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program
May 2022 Council
Lead Division/Office
KUH
Point(s) of Contact
Tracy Rankin, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Executive Summary
The KUH Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (R25) Program is a rapidly growing and increasingly popular mechanism to support early outreach to undergraduate students and bring these young, talented trainees into the KUH research community. These awards provide support for undergraduate students to participate in a 10-week hands-on research experience, paired with appropriate didactic training in the areas of kidney, urologic, and hematologic sciences. Each year, these summer programs culminate in a national symposium, where all participants sponsored by the R25 programs are brought together to share their research accomplishments, network with peers and distinguished faculty, and receive timely career development advice. Early evaluation data from a few programs that have been supported for two project periods demonstrate that a vast majority of participants go on to receive advanced STEM degrees or are otherwise retained in the STEM workforce, and several remain in the KUH research community. This is a request for the renewal and expansion of this successful program.