Summer Research Programs for Students
One advantage of living in the Triangle area is the abundance of scientific research
taking place in local universities, government facilities, and corporations. Many of these
institutions offer summer opportunities for high school and college students. Some offer
large, well-organized programs and some depend on your persistence, your qualifications,
your willingness to work for free, or who you know. Students who have a serious interest
in careers involving science or medicine should make every effort to become involved in a
research lab setting. The purpose of this page is to make you aware of the opportunities
and provide you with enough information to get started. I will be adding more information
later in the Fall when details about next summer will be released by the various programs.
If you know of any opportunities that are not on this list, please let me know.
- NIEHS is a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) so it is a federal
government research center.
- I have worked at NIEHS for 4 summers so I can tell you the most about this program.
- The program is large (accepts a lot of students), close to Cary, and allows students to
repeat the program (conceivably you could have a summer job through college).
- This is a program administered by the state that allows high school sophomores and
juniors to spend several weeks in the summer at one of North Carolina's public university
campuses doing research and taking courses in an area of interest in the fields of science
and math.
- Students live in the dorms on campus and use campus classrooms and facilities.
- The program is large (accepts a lot of students) and free.
- This program is run by the Duke University Cancer Center
- The program is smaller and accepts only 20 students, but I have had good luck with this
one (2 students accepted during two different summers).
- AHA runs programs at both UNC-CH and Duke.
5. N.C. State University
- There are many opportunities in research labs at NCSU, but not one large, coordinated
program
Sample Student Resumes