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New program gives students early start in research
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Jasmine Major, a first-year student from Henrico County, Va., works in Dr. Craig Kinsley's lab on a neuroscience project related to autism
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William Kent, '09, of Chesterfield, Va., learns how to isolate and copy genes with help from his upperclass mentor,Cristen Robinson, '06, of Carlisle, Pa.
Photos: Michael Hahn |
Six incoming first-year students previewed in July what it's like to conduct research with a University professor during a new summer research program in science and math.
A portion of a $900,000 grant from Howard Hughes Medical Institute will be set aside each year for students who have received and accepted an offer of admission from Richmond, said John Vaughan, director of pre-health education who manages the program.
Students receive a $1,500 stipend plus housing, meals, campus activities and weekend excursions.
"The summer research experience introduces students to the campus, the research process and individual faculty research projects and matches individual students with faculty research teams," said Vaughan. Each student was paired with an experienced student team member who served as a peer mentor and performed hands-on experimentation under the guidance of a faculty member, he said.
"Participants worked with state-of-the-art equipment, learned various scientific techniques, gained experience with formulating and testing hypotheses and learned how to critically read, evaluate and discuss scientific literature," said Vaughan. The rising first-year students were on campus July 6-29.
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