http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/prospective_students/diversity_at_gsas.php#summer
Summer Research, Outreach Programs
Harvard sponsors or takes part in a variety of paid summer internship programs designed to encourage talented minority students and increase the pool of minority students entering PhD programs.
Natural Sciences
The SHURP Program of the Division of Medical Sciences
The Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP), begun in 1991, is intended primarily for college science students who are seriously interested in research and who are members of racial or ethnic groups under-represented in biological sciences. SHURP students spend about 85 percent of their time pursuing research projects in the laboratories of Medical School and Division of Medical Sciences (DMS) faculty members. Students also participate in informal weekly seminars to teach each other about their research projects and in weekly career development discussions. SHURP student groups are paired with groups of graduate and MD/PhD students for informal peer mentoring. Past participants have found that the Program gives them an opportunity to apply what they have learned in coursework to their research. They also have a chance to build self-confidence in their science skills and in the career decisions they are making.
Selection for the program is based on an applicant’s interest in a career in biomedical research, previous research experience, letters of recommendation, and academic preparation. Students receive a summer stipend and housing is provided. Contact the Division of Medical Sciences at shurp@hms.harvard.edu or (800) 367-9019. The application deadline is February 1.
Harvard School of Public Health Summer Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health
This intensive 9 week laboratory-based biological research program is for undergraduate students during the summer following their sophomore or junior year. Interns apply state-of-the art technology in their own research projects, which focus on biological science questions that are important to the prevention of disease, under the direction of a Harvard faculty member. Internships are awarded by competitive process and interns receive a generous stipend, travel allowance, and free dormitory housing. Applicants should be a first-generation college student, low-income college student, or a member of a group that is underrepresented in graduate education. For complete eligibility requirements and application instructions please visit the program website. All application materials must be postmarked by February 1, 2012. Notification of selection will be made in early March.
Research Experience for Undergraduates at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program is a mechanism for integrating a broad spectrum of undergraduates into bioengineering, materials research, nanoscience, and engineering. REU provides its interns with a coordinated, educational and dynamic research community to inspire and encourage them to continue on to graduate school. Summer research opportunities for undergraduates are arranged in conjunction with the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), as well as other Harvard-based engineering and science entities. Professional development workshops, faculty seminars on research and ethics, and community activities are integrated into the program. Students receive a summer stipend, and housing is provided.
For more information on this program, contact Kathyrn Hollar, director of educational programs, Pierce Hall Room 206A, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; 617-496–7479; hollar@deas.harvard.edu.
Summer Research Opportunities at Harvard (SROH)
Summer Research Opportunities at Harvard (SROH) is offered for currently-enrolled undergraduates who are considering Ph.D. careers in the humanities, social sciences, and life/physical sciences and who have already had at least one upper-level course in their field of study. U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is required. This 10 week program will be held in conjunction with the Harvard MCO, Systems Biology, and Summer School Programs, in partnership with the Harvard University’s Senior Vice Provost Office for Faculty Development & Diversity (FD&D) and the Leadership Alliance Consortium. SROH interns are placed in faculty labs in Cambridge spanning fields in the life and physical sciences, and their activities include weekly faculty lectures from departments in the Faculty of Arts & Sciences (FAS), weekly group meeting discussions of student research projects, and joint field trips with other Harvard summer programs. Students in the program will live in Harvard Summer School housing. The program will provide all research and course related expenses, room and board, travel to and from the program, as well as a stipend.
Links to more biological and other science summer programs can be found on the HILS website at http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/hils/summerinternships.html
Social Sciences
Institute for Recruitment of Teachers
Located at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) identifies talented minority students in their junior year of college and encourages them to pursue graduate degrees and careers in teaching. IRT offers an intensive four-week Summer Workshop to prepare students for the GRE and for the rigors of graduate school. At the conclusion of the workshop, IRT will continue to provide extensive help throughout the graduate school application process.
Participants receive a stipend, travel expenses (for those living outside New England), and room and board. The Associates Program allows students who cannot attend the Summer Workshop to receive similar graduate school preparation and application help from the staff. Applicants must be majoring in the humanities, social sciences, or education. For an application and more information on either the Summer Workshop or the Associates Program, contact IRT, Phillips Academy, 180 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810; (978) 749-4116; irt@andover.edu.
All Disciplines
The Leadership Alliance
The Leadership Alliance, a consortium of 33 institutions including Harvard, works to increase the number of underrepresented minority students entering PhD programs. In addition to offering some fellowship assistance for graduate school, students at member institutions may participate in the Summer Research Early Identification Program. Successful applicants are paired with a faculty member to conduct research for ten weeks in a discipline of their choice in the sciences, social sciences, or humanities. Students receive a room, stipend, and travel funds, in addition to valuable research or laboratory experience and mentoring. For information on how to apply, visit the website or contact the Leadership Alliance, Box 1963, Providence, RI 02912; 401-863-1474;barbara_kahn@brown.edu.