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John Jay College Braids Undergraduate Intern Support for Successful FUTURE

By Shu-Yuan Cheng posted 10-29-2020 14:28

  

Braiding funds from various resources will promote the efficiency and effectiveness of using those funds, and that has been the case with SOT internship support I have received at John Jay College in recent years. Consistent with the SOT goal of enhancing recruitment of students into toxicology, the Faculty United for Toxicology Undergraduate Recruitment and Education (FUTURE) Committee administers SOT funding for undergraduate intern hosts to enable additional summer internships in toxicology (assuming at least a 50% matching from the host institution or other funding sources). The Program for Research Initiatives in Science and Math (PRISM) at John Jay College has braided funding sources to support the cost of services to students. The overarching goal of the PRISM Undergraduate Research Program is to provide students with opportunities for alternative education in the areas of forensic science, toxicology, and biology through faculty mentored research. This program can increase students’ success in sciences by enhancing their sense of belonging to the science community through activities that will increase their motivation and skills.

SOT matching funds to support undergraduate summer internships with PRISM have produced the successful outcomes of student achievements such as oral presentation awards and enrollment into PhD programs.

Maggie Zheng, 2019 Pfizer SOT
Undergraduate Student Travel
Award recipient.

Here are the John Jay awardees:

Anayatzinc Vargas (summer 2017 intern) presented her research at the 2018 SOT Annual Meeting and 2018 SACNAS conference. She graduated in May 2019 and has been working as a laboratory technician since then.

Maggie Zheng (summer 2018 intern) was awarded a Pfizer SOT Undergraduate Student Travel Award to attend the 2019 SOT Annual Meeting to present her research results. She graduated in May 2019 and has enrolled in a PhD program at New York University.

Marjorie Gray (summer 2018 intern) presented her research results at the 2019 SOT Annual Meeting. Marjorie was awarded the John Jay Student Travel award to attend the 2019 SOT Annual Meeting. She graduated in May 2020 and has enrolled in the School of Dentistry at New York University.

Joy Alejanzales and Samara Pettie (summer 2019 interns) submitted an abstract for the 2020 SOT Annual Meeting. Both were awarded the John Jay Student Travel award to attend the 2020 SOT Annual Meeting to present their research results. Joy graduated in May 2020 and is planning to attend a graduate program in toxicology. Samara will graduate in May 2021.

Suman Fayyaz and Shan Lin (summer 2020 interns) will continue their research this academic year.

With the Society’s strong support for our undergraduate researchers during the summertime, John Jay students have obtained experiences in scientific research and improved their engagement and sense of belonging. This helps our students develop interest in pursuing education and careers in biomedical or toxicology related fields.

This blog is one of a series highlighting 2020 undergraduate intern research activities that were supported by SOT with funds administered by the Faculty United for Toxicology Undergraduate Recruitment and Education (FUTURE) Committee. Internship hosts can apply for matching funding for up to one-half of the cost for a summer undergraduate research position. The application deadline for next year is January 8. Relevant intern positions are listed on the “Internship Resources” web page of the SOT website whether or not they receive SOT support. Please send internship opportunity information to SOT Headquarters.

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