USC-Neural Summer Program
The USC Neuroscience Experience Undergraduate Research And Learning Program (USC-NEURAL) is devoted to providing outstanding research experiences and professional development opportunities for underrepresented minority undergraduates who have a strong interest in pursuing an advanced degree in the neurosciences. USC-NEURAL provides an enriching on-campus experience where visiting NEURAL scholars work in a neuroscience laboratory for 8 weeks during the summer. Students completing their sophomore or junior year at outside institutions are encouraged to apply.
Application Requirements
- Personal statement and research interests
- Short statement on academic and professional goals
- Resume or CV
- Current transcript (unofficial or official)
- 1-3 letters of recommendation
Program goals:
- Connect NEURAL scholars with an NGP faculty member.
- Provide a roadmap for the scholar to learn about a specific area of neuroscience, read original literature, perform experiments and learn analytical strategies.
- Foster interactions with current NGP graduate students and other faculty to learn about advanced training in the neurosciences.
- Discover outstanding opportunities for career development in academic, private sector, education and policy arenas.
Weekly discussion sessions include:
- Ethics and Data Reproducibility Issues
- Science Advocacy
- Producing a competitive graduate school application, personal interview and written statement strategies
- Poster and Manuscripts – The Keys to Reporting
- Professional career opportunities beyond the Ph.D.
At the end of the program, each NEURAL scholar will have the opportunity to prepare and present a poster during a USC hosted research poster session.
