About the Program
 The objectives of the MUVRSP are to expose veterinary students to research career opportunities through a mentored research experience and develop a much-needed community of veterinary research scientists.
For additional veterinary student research opportunities, see the Merck Veterinary Scholars and National and Canadian Research Opportunities for Veterinary Students web sites.
Application Deadline: February 6, 2009
Eligibility: Students who have:
- completed at least one year of Veterinary School or have been accepted into Veterinary School
- are interested in exploring research
- have not previously participated in a Veterinary Research Scholars Summer Program
- are not currently enrolled in a DVM/PhD or DVM/MS program
Stipend:
For MU student 8-week program - $4000
For out of state or prevet/ag scholars 10-week program - $5000
Program duration, students from the University of Missouri: Project development and implementation, mentor meetings and weekly journal clubs and topics discussions will begin in March of 2009. Full-time research activity will occur during the summer break from July-August.
Program duration, students from other Veterinary Colleges: The program schedule is flexible with a 10 week minimum requirement.
Program description: The MUVRSP will include:
- an intensive research experience to include state-of-the-art experimental methodology.
- weekly topics discussions that give a broad exposure to biomedical sciences.
- social events to foster interaction and sense of community.
- an opportunity to attend and present at the National Merck-Merial Symposium at North Carolina State University.
- interactive field trips and social events with scholars of the Kansas State and Oklahoma State Veterinary Research Scholars Programs
- field trips to local and regional research institutions
 Mentor Selection: Participating mentors and a description of their research is listed here. As part of the application, scholars rank three mentors with whom they would like to work. Scholars are highly encouraged to contact prospective mentors and discuss opportunities in their laboratories. An advisory committee will assign scholars to laboratories. MU scholars will meet with mentors no less than weekly beginning in March. Out-of-state scholars should contact mentors to begin project planning no later than one month prior to their start date.
New this year: Opportunities to perform research in St. Louis, MO with mentors at Washington University and Pfizer, Inc. See mentor list for more information or contact Dr. Franklin at (573) 882-6623 or franklinc@missouri.edu with questions.
Related Programs: Summer Fellowship in Laboratory Animal Medicine and Comparative Medicine
Research - click here for details
Extra-research activities: Extra-research activities will include 1) an evening research topics course that includes sessions on careers (e.g. comparative medicine and veterinary pathology), grantsmanship, responsible conduct of research and scientific poster preparation 2) a “career path to research” sessions that include participation by veterinarians actively engaged in post-DVM research training, 3) a four session experimental design workshop, 4) a visit to an industry research farm, 5) weekly show-and-tell meetings in participating scholars laboratories and 6) interactive projects/ field trips with veterinary research scholars from Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University that include social outings.
See the previous programs sections for more information on similar extra-research activities held in previous years.
MU / KSU / OSU project: Scholars from the MU, Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University programs will meet in Kansas City for tours of local research facilities and a social outing at Worlds of Fun amusement park. Optional field trips to research facilities in Oklahoma City will also be available.
Scholar Expectations: Scholars will be expected to commit full-time to the program, perform a hypothesis-based research project, participate in weekly topics courses and present results of experiments at the MU 2010 Phi Zeta Research day (MU scholars). Scholars will also have the opportunity to attend and present their project at the 2009 National Merck-Merial Symposium at North Carolina State University, August 6th through the 8th. On completion of the training program, scholars will have been exposed to careers in research and obtained the necessary information to pursue a science-related career.
Time Line:
Feb 6
Deadline for applications
February
Scholar selection and orientation meeting
March 13
Attend 2009 Phi Zeta Research Day
March-June
Mentor/scholar meetings to outline project/goals and begin research
April
Four part experimental design workshop
May 1
MU scholar research outlines due; out of state scholar outlines due two weeks after their arrival
July
MU / KSU / OSU Veterinary Research Scholars Program joint meeting / social.
Trip to Merial Research Farm in Fulton, MO.
July 3
Full-time in laboratory begins (MU scholars)
August 6-8
Attend National Merck-Merial Symposium at North Carolina State University
August
Trip to Pfizer facilities in St. Louis, MO.
Meeting with post-DVM graduate students to discuss career paths.
Out-of-state scholar presentations / End of program picnic
Application: (Application Deadline is February 6th, 2009) To apply, complete online form here. Selection criteria include academic performance, references and level of commitment, interest and drive. Preference will be given to applicants with no prior research experience
Need more information? Please contact Dr. Craig Franklin at (573) 882-6623 or franklinc@missouri.edu |
