Before you arrive:

Students are matched with faculty advisors prior to arrival at KGI. You will have a telephone interview with your advisor(s), to discuss research project(s) and obtain relevant background information.


Orientation week:

We will start the program with a welcoming reception, followed by a tour of the facilities and other activities such as hiring paperwork, safety training and computer orientation. The rest of the first week is devoted to you becoming familiar with your summer research project, and for you and your advisor(s) to formulate realistic goals and milestones to be accomplished given the time constraints of a ten-week program. We will have two additional sessions as a group (1) to help you become proficient in active literature search, and (2) to coach you in the preparation of your initial presentation.

At the start of the program, it was extremely helpful to have all of the REU students and the KGI faculty and researchers meet for breakfast and introductions. It gave me a chance to become acquainted with the people with whom I would be spending my summer. I did not feel as lost upon entering the laboratory for the first time.
~ Britney Swen, REU 2003


Initial presentations:

During this half-day event at the end of week 2 of the program, each REU student will give a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation with questions about his/her summer research project, summarizing background, significance, approach, goals and milestones. The initial presentation will enable you to clearly define your project's objectives and to practice your oral presentation skills. It will also allow your fellow students and the KGI research community in general to become aware of all ongoing summer undergraduate research projects.

The initial presentation was the first time I had given a presentation in public and it made me realize that I need to seek out more public speaking opportunities in the future. I am glad we had an initial and a final presentation to give because it gave me more practice, and it allowed me to put into effect the feedback I got from the first presentation instead of having to wait for an indefinite future opportunity to speak. ~ Tiffany Sun, REU 2004

The presentations were a great way to get over your nerves, and to fully understand the research you are about to undertake. ~ Andrea Pallante, REU 2004

While the initial presentation was pretty nerve-wracking, it forced me to read the literature and focus my goals for the summer. ~ Patricia Gilligan, REU 2004

Research program:

You will spend the majority of your summer conducting original research under the supervision of your advisor(s), alongside other members of the research community at KGI, for a minimum of 40h/week. During the research program you will have access to state-of-the-art equipment in your advisor's lab and the various core facilities at KGI, and will have ample opportunities for one-on-one interactions with senior researchers. We hope to give you a realistic insight regarding what to expect during graduate school in a field related to the applied life sciences, or pursuing a research career in the biotech industry.

My advisor was absolutely amazing. I had the perfect balance between guidance to learn a tremendous amount and freedom to conduct my own research project. The program doesn't just solely focus on producing data, but was about the entire experience as a researcher. ~ Andrea Pallante, REU 2004

My advisors were extremely helpful and available. I couldn't be happier with the project that I was assigned to. It was very exciting research and the level of understanding to be able to make effective decisions regarding my research was perfect: enough to be mentally challenging but not so complex that I couldn't understand what I was doing. ~ Erin Smith, REU 2004

My advisor was very helpful and supportive. I could tell that she was dedicated to the project and did everything she could to prepare me for graduate school research. ~ Heather White, REU 2003

I thought it was really nice how all the labs interacted with each other and people could share equipment. The environment was very friendly to work in. ~ Elaine Chan, REU 2003


Seminar Series:

You will have the opportunity to attend a series of seminars organized specifically for REU students, hosted either at KGI or off site during our field trips.  During these seminars, speakers from academia and industry will talk about specific research and business topics in bioengineering and the biotech industry.  In most cases, you will have lunch with the speakers, to enable a discussion of issues pertinent to graduate school and career choices in different sectors, with a specific focus on careers of women in science and engineering.

The seminars were excellent, and the discussions afterward with the scientists were particularly valuable. ~ Kristine Alexander, REU 2004

It was helpful to see people, and hear from people, actively pursuing careers in both academia and industry. ~ Allison Moser, REU 2004

The seminars were interesting and I liked how we saw different perspectives, academic and industrial. ~ Elaine Chan, REU 2003

I particularly enjoyed the research and business seminars this summer because I believe the business part is an extremely important side of research. ~ Sabeen Dhand, REU 2003


Ethics Case Studies:

Recent advances in life science research and market forces of the global economy have more than ever spurred the debate on associated ethical considerations. Research ethics and academic freedom are moving into the spotlight in the context of closer partnerships between industry and academia. Ethical considerations surrounding genetically modified food and stem cell research are the focus of ongoing public debate, with important science policy implications. You will be able to gain exposure to these and other topics through ethics seminars, case studies, and our “ethics movie night”, moderated by resident and adjunct faculty members and by invited speakers.

I loved the ethics seminars and I think they are a great addition to the hard science of an internship like this. ~ Erin Kirkbride, REU 2003

These events helped me see that there is more to science than just science. Researchers must look at the impact of their research on the community and the world and not just think about the benefits to the scientific community. ~ Cynthia Cacy, REU 2003

Presentation Skills Workshops:

You will have ample opportunities to practice oral presentation skills in the initial presentations, poster session and final presentations of the REU program. Many students coming into the program have little to no experience in public speaking, and are sometimes terrified at the prospect thereof. To help you in this process, we offer oral presentation skills workshops, which focus on preparing effective PowerPoint presentations and on public speaking. To improve your technical writing skills, participating students prepare a final report of their research findings in the form of a technical paper suitable for publication in a scientific journal. To guide students in their efforts, we offer a series of technical writing workshops throughout the summer.


Career Workshops:

One of our goals is to prepare students for their future career path, including and beyond graduate school. KGI has extensive industry connections and excellent career counseling services, as evidenced by the successful placement of our Masters students in internships and careers. You will be able to profit from these resources during a career counseling sessions, which will focus on career choices in the applied life science industry, résumé writing skills, networking, interview skills and proper business etiquette. In a second session focused on the graduate school application process we will discuss different graduate school options (PhD, MD, professional masters programs), along with helpful information on how to best navigate the application process.

The career counseling was extremely helpful in letting us know about the work necessary for different paths. I now feel like I know what my options are for pursuing science or science and business in the future. ~ Allison Moser, REU 2004

Field Trips to Biotech Companies:

We will conduct field trips to biotech companies in the Los Angeles and San Diego area, including start-ups and established corporations. These field trips will enable students to meet scientists in industry, to gain a realistic picture of an industrial workplace, and to discuss career options in industry.

Project Wrap-up:

Starting in week 9, we will have a series of session dedicated to bringing your research project to a proper conclusion. Reflecting on the original goals and milestones, you will summarize your research accomplishments during the program in the form of a technical paper, and you will prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the final presentations symposium.

Writing up and presenting our work at the end of the summer provided us with the opportunity to develop our communication skills. Although communication is often overlooked in science education, without strong written and oral communication skills it would be impossible for scientists to share new discoveries and advancements. ~ Elizabeth Ponder, REU 2003


Final presentations:

During this event, each REU student will give a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation with questions, summarizing the outcome of his/her undergraduate summer research project. This event will be advertised throughout the Claremont Colleges, and will enable you to present and defend your research accomplishments in front of your peers and other researchers from KGI and beyond.

I was able to work on presentation skills, which you can only develop by actually giving presentations. I learned how to research a topic, become familiar and work with it, and then convey what I had learned to others. ~ Chris Nolan, REU 2004

The final presentations let me know exactly what my fellow REU students were working on. They were extremely professional and very informative. ~ Aaron Jacobs, REU 2003

I can definitely say that I had to face my fear of public speaking with the presentations, but by the final presentation I really felt my confidence had grown and it went well. ~ Erin Kirkbride, REU 2003


Farewell Party:

After all the hard work is done, we will conclude the REU program with a farewell party for all participants, their faculty advisors and lab members.

The final REU party was a lot of fun. I enjoyed talking to the KGI president and seeing the faculty out of the KGI setting. My university is relatively large and we have very little interaction with faculty, so the social gatherings such as the REU party and the Chili cook-off were unexpected but very much welcomed. ~ Tiffany Sun, REU 2004

The final REU party was a great way to wrap up the program, and I am especially grateful to KGI's president who so graciously allowed us into his home (and provided bagels every Friday morning!). ~ Britney Swen, REU 2003