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Program Information & Eligibility

Program Aims

Jordan Spellers presents his research to Checo Rorie at the 2024 student symposium.

The program has three specific aims:

  • Provide undergraduate students from medically underserved areas with hands-on experience in cancer research during a ten-week summer internship.
  • Increase student interest in pursuing careers in cancer research by offering professional development activities essential for gaining admission to graduate and professional schools.
  • Provide year-long group coaching (covering summer, fall, and spring) to help students integrate academic and life skills and increase their chances of successfully completing their degrees.

Program Highlights

  • Year long program with 10-week intensive summer program (May-July)
  • Stipend, food allowance, and housing for summer portion
  • Small stipend for coaching engagement
  • Solo project to completed in the supervision of UNC Principal Investigator and bench mentor
  • Seminars
  • Professional development
  • Team building and recreation
  • Conference: Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABCRMS)

Three students in business attire with their research poster tubes.Eligibility

  • 18 years or older
  • Pursuing a STEM major in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Public Health, Nursing, and other biomedical sciences
  • Overall GPA of 2.8 of higher
  • A first-year student, sophomore, junior, or rising senior

Stipend

  • $6,000 program stipend
  • $750 stipend for food
  • $150 for coaching engagement at end of the spring semester

Requirements

  • Students must provide their own transportation
  • Produce a poster and present at symposium at the end of the program
  • Write a 10-page double-spaced research paper based on your research, due at the end of the summer portion of the program
  • Attend ABRCMS conference in the fall
  • Complete testimonial of the program

CUREP students and program leadership celebrating out at a restaurant.

Additional Program Information

Program Onboarding

The goal of the program is to introduce you to cutting-edge research in the fields of cancer biology or cancer-related Public Health, to provide you with a realistic view of graduate school and of research careers in these areas, and to help you prepare to apply to graduate school.

We look forward to meeting with you at our CUREP Boot Camp, where we will give you additional details about the program and discuss the expectations of the program staff and of your research mentors.

You will receive information from program coordinators about your mentor assignments for this summer. Once you have this information, contact your mentor to get acquainted and to ask for any instructions to be completed prior to your arrival.

Housing

The program for summer 2025 will provide housing. Students will be housed on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

Parking at UNC-Chapel Hill

All cars parked on campus must display a parking permit issued by the UNC Department of Parking and Transportation.

Do not plan on trying to park free of charge around campus. Parking spots are scarce and vehicles illegally parked are ticketed ($30 – $50 for first offense) or towed.

Please visit the UNC Transportation and Parking website for more information.

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