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Summer Scholars Program at Harvard Medical School

Summer Scholars is a Harvard Medical School summer internship program for motivated undergraduates with a strong interest in pursuing graduate studies focused on molecular mechanisms in biology. The program offers students the opportunity to gain experience in hands-on laboratory research; to interact with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other summer interns; to attend weekly luncheon/seminar presentations by department members on specific research projects and cutting-edge research tools; and to improve the presentation, writing, and communication skills.

The program is co-directed by Profs. Piotr Sliz, Sun Hur and Stephen Buratowski, with further support from Karina Gonzalez Herrera as a special program advisor and Yolima Lantigua as the departmental coordinator.

Laboratories participating in the BCMP summer internship program offer a broad range of basic and disease-oriented research topics using the analytical tools of biochemistry, molecular genetics, biophysics, chemical biology, and structural biology. Research interests of the faculty include:

 

  • Use of chemical biology to study the human microbiome (Sloan Devin)

  • The control of all stages of gene expression; the mechanisms of DNA replication, recombination, and repair (Steve Buratowski, Phil Cole, Karen Adelman, Johannes Walter, Kevin Struhl Laboratories);

  • The structure and function of proteins, protein-RNA complexes, and membrane transporters using crystallography, cryoEM, and NMR (Eric Fischer, Mike Eck, Steven Backlow, Andrew Kruse, Hao Wu, Tim Springer, and Haribabu Arthanari) and single-molecule methods (Joe Loparo, Johannes Walter);

  • Molecular approaches to gene regulation and protein function during herpesvirus replication and latency (Don Coen);

  • The biosynthesis of membrane lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins; principles of antibiotic and natural product synthesis (Jon Clardy)

  • Computational approaches in structural biology (Python programming, grid computing, drug discovery and molecular dynamics) - Sliz Laboratory.

  • Genomics - The Cohort Study project at Boston Children's Hospital has multiple openings for students that are interested in working with investigators on sequencing and data analysis projects in a variety of disease areas including neurological, endocrine, psychiatric, gastric, and more.

 

 

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Previous research experience is recommended but not required. We typically do not sponsor student visas for international students located outside the US, but we may make exceptions under certain circumstances.Admittance into the program is based on grades, recommendations, past research experience and defined research interests.  Selected applicants will be matched with one of the participating laboratories.  Students receive a $4725 stipend and will work full-time (35 hours/week) on research projects under the guidance of a BCMP research scientist. A 10-week series of luncheon/seminar meetings will begin with a training session on laboratory safety, followed by presentations from current graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the department. Students will present their own work during a poster session at the end of the program in August.

 

Please note that the BCMP Summer Scholars are not Harvard students and are not eligible for some of the Harvard student benefits such as housing, health insurance,  or access to athletic facilities. Students are responsible for making their own travel and accommodation arrangements and they will cover travel, accommodation, food and other personal expenses associated with the participation in the BCMP summer internship program. A list of potential students housing accommodations adjacent to the Longwood Medical School campus is available upon request.

 

Class of 2014:

  • Gita Bhattacharya, Harvard College 

  • Chris Nam, Swarthmore College, Sliz Lab

  • Lori Kim, Northwestern, Chou Lab

  • Christina Hansen, Oklahoma City University

  • Ciyue Shen, Brandeis University

  • Christine Hwang, Harvard College

  • Cassandra Sunga, Boston University

  • Victoria Parson, Lafayette College

  • Adriana Jaimes, Boston University, Sliz Lab

 

Class of 2015:

  • Lori Kim, Northwestern University, Chou Lab

  • Vicky Chou, Yale University, Blacklow Lab

  • Alan Gao, Harvard College, Walter Lab

  • Kristen Rodrigues, Harvard College, Loparo Lab

  • Triet Bui, McDaniel College, Kruse Lab

  • Cassandra Sunga, Boston University, Sliz Lab

  • Jenna Morris-Love, University of Connecticut, Coen Lab

  • David Oh, Dartmouth College, Sliz Lab

  • Ameya Gangal, Emory University.

  • Ziqing Mao, Tsinghua University.

  • Jiawei Wu, Tsinghua University.

  • Emily Tjon, Northeastern University

  • Ankita Nand, Northeastern University, Caroline Shamu

 

Class of 2016:

  • Alan Gao, Harvard College, Walter Lab

  • Rachel Partridge, Washington U., Sliz Lab

  • Berke Sengun, Koc University-School of Medicine, Daley Lab

  • Janice Ong, MIT, Kruse Lab

  • David Graff, Princeton, Fischer Lab

  • Rachel Shaganty, Harvard, Buratowski Lab

  • Jenna Morris-Love, UCONN, Coen Lab

  • Daniel Greenfield, Rutgers, Sliz Lab

  • Lily Xu, Harvard,  Coen Lab

  • Abigail Wong, Washington U., Eck Lab

  • Rubye Peyser, Wesleyan, Sliz Lab

  • Zhiming He, Nanjing U.

 

Class of 2017:

  • Dan Greenfield, Rutgers University, Sliz Lab

  • Molly MacIsaac, University at Albany, Wong Lab

  • Janice Ong, MIT, Kruse Lab

  • Anahita Iyer, Harvard College, Loparo Lab

  • Cathy Wang, Harvard College, Wu Lab

  • Prateek Sharma, University of Michigan, Blacklow Lab

  • Emily Park, Amherst College, Fischer Lab

  • Reyan Coskun, Indiana U., Buhrlage Lab

 

Class of 2018:

  • Alice Wang, Colby College, Coen Lab

  • Chinmay Bakshi, U. Cincinnati, Buhrlage Lab

  • Alexander Daniels, Haverford College, Chou Lab

  • Vaibhavi B. Shah, MIT, Fischer Lab

  • Xiaoping (Amy) Lu, U. Waterloo, Sliz Lab

  • Saher Siddiqui, Harvard College, Wong Lab

  • Genghao Chen, UCSD Cole Lab

  • Amy Jia, Harvard U. Gregory Lab

  • Angela Xu, Johns Hopkins U., Blacklow Lab

 

Class of 2019:

  • Siddanth Ramesh, Brandeis U, Arthanari Lab

  • Isabella Maison, UMASS Amherst, Buhrlage Lab

  • Claire Chiang, Johns Hopkins U., Cole Lab

  • Aiden Kolodziej, Cornell U. Devlin Lab

  • Sabrina Chen, Cornell U., Chou Lab

  • Natalia Orlowsky, Princeton U., Buratowski Lab

  • Lily Wang, Cornell U., Sliz Lab

  • Tipwarin Phongmekhin, Rice U., Blacklow Lab

  • Aditi Kannan, Wellesley College, Clardy Lab

  • Sasha Saias, UC Berkeley, Hirschhorn Lab (BCH)

  • Prathamesh Chati, Washington U., Thiagarajah Lab

  • Abhi Rao, UT Austin, Gonzalez-Heydrich Lab

  • Tian Zhang, Emory U., Agrawal Lab

  • Harmon Khela, Johns Hopkins U., Kenna Lab

Class of 2021:

  • Anisa Prasad, Harvard U. Walter Lab

  • Jaden Fang, UT Austin, Gregory Lab

  • Hyojeon Kim, Amherst College, Cole Lab

  • Brian Ibeabuchi, Harvard U.,  Cole Lab

  • Zijian Li, UNC, Sliz Lab

Class of 2022:

  • Huel Cox III (1), Boston College, Arthanari Lab

  • Bojia Hu, Grinnell College, Sliz Lab

  • Nicholas Shaw, U Cincinnati, Brown Lab

  • Zhihan (Hans) Zhao, Vanderbilt, Loparo Lab

  • Justin Kim, Colby College, Eck Lab

  • Brynn Jacobs, Harvard, Buratowski Lab

  • Thussenthan Walter-Angelo (2), Princeton, Gregory Lab

  • Xueyang (Stephen) Jiang, UC Berkeley, Daley Lab

 

Class of 2023

  • Melody Lai, UC Berkeley, Sliz Lab

  • Maria Rich, U Cincinnati, Blacklow Lab

  • John Shaw, Harvard, Walter Lab

  • Zachary Stayn, Harvard, Kruse Lab

  • Leah Wynn, Oxford, Blacklow Lab

  • Helen Zhu, Northwestern, Walter Lab

  • Xinran Maggie Zhang, Emory, Cole Lab

  • Na Lynne Zhao, Oxford, Eck Lab

1 - Recipients of BCMP Scholars Book Award for Outstanding Research Project  

2 - Recipients of BCMP Scholars Book Award for Leadership Excellence

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