Summer Research Opportunities
Off Campus Opportunities
Student interested in seeking off campus research opportunities may wish to consult this compilation of research opportunities maintained by Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Research.
Neuroscience Research Fellowship (NRF)
The Neuroscience Research Fellowship is made possible through a generous donation from Zeke Koch, a graduate of the psychology department in 1995. The fellowship provides a competitive summer stipend of $6400. The intent of the program is to benefit Reed interdisciplinary neuroscience students by preparing them for their thesis, as well as graduate school or other avenues to a career in neuroscience. The fellowship opportunity is also designed to provide students with strong research skills.
Up to three summer research fellows will be selected (one of whom may be a post-bac researcher). The applicant must be a neuroscience major. For students in their third year or above, this is demonstrated by the declaration of major. For students in the first or second year, “neuroscience major” standing can be demonstrated by having indicated an intent to major in neuroscience and/or a transcript that shows substantial progress toward the requirements for a neuroscience major. The fellowship requires a Reed faculty mentor in whose lab the research will be conducted. This mentor would most logically hail from either the biology or psychology department, but applications to pursue neuroscience-relevant chemistry, physics, or computer science research will also be entertained. Preference will be given for strong collaborative and interdisciplinary proposals.
The research proposal (2-page single-spaced limit) prepared in collaboration with the selected faculty mentor should include:
- Project title and intended faculty mentor
- Introduction and background, including project goal or hypothesis
- General methods to be used (detailed experimental design is not necessary)
- A description of the contributions of all members involved in the collaborative project
- Potential scientific impact
- References (use a consistent format)
Additional information to be provided on a separate sheet should include:
- Demonstration of intent to major in neuroscience.
- Rough budget indicating any major supplies and reagents needed beyond those already available in the host department (complete this in consultation with the mentor).
Fellowship recipients are expected to:
- Complete 10 weeks of research.
- Present a research poster for the Reed Summer Research Symposium
- Write a short introspective summary regarding the benefits of the experience.
Submit an electronic copy of the proposal to the Neuroscience Administrator, Harper Dziedzic <dziedeha@reed.edu>, by the deadline on Wed, March 6 in 2024.