Tag Archives: HIV

Research Opportunity: Identification of HIV Reservoirs in people treated with potent antiretroviral therapies

Con­tact Name: James Mullins

Con­tact Email: jmullins[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Microbiology

Descrip­tion:

HIV persists in the body despite the application of highly potent therapies that reduce it to undetectable levels in the blood. Students will join an effort designed to identify the tissues in which these residual virus “reservoirs” are found. Students will join a vibrant laboratory focused on multiple basic research questions critical to current objectives in AIDS research. Each student will learn careful molecular biologic technologies and bioinformatics approaches to DNA sequence analysis. We prefer students to join in their Sophomore year, commit ~10 hrs/week during the academic year, and if all goes well, stay with us throughout their undergraduate careers.

Require­ments:

Biology 180 and 200. Chemistry 142/145

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Research Opportunity: Scientific Programmer

Con­tact Name: Thomas Sibley

Con­tact Email: trsibley[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Microbiology

Descrip­tion:

The Mullins Lab (http://mullinslab.microbiol.washington.edu) seeks a part-time student intern to assist with development of Viroverse, a scientific web application used for HIV research.  The lab uses Viroverse to manage clinical, experimental, and analytical data for a number of ongoing projects.

You’ll be working with the primary software engineer to tackle a range of tasks depending on your interests as well as your areas and levels of experience.  The goals of this internship are 1) to improve the application in identified areas and 2) for you to learn and gain experience from an in-production web service, working with real research data from wet-labs and clinics.  To gather feedback about changes and usage, you’ll interact directly with the scientists using the application day-to-day.

To ensure a useful and productive experience for everyone, nearly all work will need to be done in South Lake Union at the Rosen Building (960 Republican St).

To apply, please email your CV to Thomas Sibley with a brief description of your experience and interests, as well as a code sample (need not be Perl).

Require­ments:

Object-oriented, modern Perl should be a language you’ve used before, and at least a few of the following keywords should interest you and describe your experience if you apply for the internship:

* Modern Perl
– Catalyst
– Moose
– PSGI
* Javascript
* SQL / PostgreSQL
* Database quality control / reconciliation
* git
* Devops
* Full stack development
* Root-cause analysis
* Security vulnerability discovery and resolution
* Profiling and performance tuning
* UI / UX design

Familiarity with basic molecular biology concepts (PCR, sequencing, etc) and bioinformatics will be helpful but is not necessary.

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Summer Research Opportunities at Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University highly values student research which provides opportunities for active learning, practical experience and training. Below is a list of summer research opportunities for undergraduate and medical students offered by the University, School of Medicine or in the Cleveland area.

Undergraduate Research

  • School of Medicine Summer Medical Dental Education Program, June-July
    A rigorous six-week program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for pre-medical and pre-dental students with classes in the basic sciences and direct observations with a physician in a healthcare setting. Open to freshmen or sophomores who are U.S. citizens or hold permanent resident visas, belong to a group that is racially/ethnically underrepresented in medicine or dentistry, or comes from a disadvantaged background, and demonstrates an interest in issues affecting underserved populations. Stipend $600 plus housing and meals. Application Deadline: March 1, 2014
  • Academic Careers in Engineering and Science for Minority Students, May-July
    A 10-week, biomedical research program for minority undergraduate students in science and engineering. Stipend $3,500 and support for meals, housing, travel and supplies. Application Deadline: February 15, 2014
  • Heart, Lung and Blood Minority Research Training Program, May-July
    An 8-10 week program for minority, low-income, or disabled undergraduate and medical students in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematological or sleep disorders research, with a weekly seminar series and poster session. Stipend $1,750 per month, plus support for housing and travel. Application Deadline for Undergraduates: February 15, 2014 Application Deadline for Medical Students: March 1, 2014
  • MetroHealth Chester Scholars Program, June-August
    A 10-week program in clinical or laboratory research settings at MetroHealth Medical Center that includes observation of surgery and hospital rounds. Open to 15 students who have completed their second year of undergraduate studies in the sciences, and who is either an Ohio resident or attends an Ohio university. Stipend $2,500. Application Deadline: February 14, 2014
  • Minority HIV Research Training Program, June-July
    An eight-week program where students work side-by-side with a Center for AIDS Research faculty member on various projects. Open to undergraduate, graduate or medical students enrolled in an accredited U.S. college or university. Stipend $3,500. Application Deadline: February 7, 2014
  • Pediatrics Program in Summer Research, June-August
    A 10-week program in biomedical and psychosocial research relating to pediatric disorders supported by the Department of Pediatrics at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and Case Western Reserve University. Open to undergraduates who have completed the first year of study from any U.S. college or university. Stipend $3,000. Application Deadline: February 21, 2014
  • Summer on the Cuyahoga Internships, May-July
    A 10-week internship in professional, health, civic and social topics in the Cleveland area. Open to students from Case Western Reserve University, Colgate University, Cornell University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Smith College, Denison University, University of Chicago and Yale University. Paid internships.
  • Undergraduate Research Program in Physiology and Biophysics, June-July
    An eight-week program offered by the Department of Physiology and Biophysics where students obtain first-hand research experience in a state-of-the-art research environment. Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors from any American university. Stipend $3,500. Application Deadline: March 31, 2014
  • Undergraduate Research in Pharmacology, May-August
    A 10-week, hands-on research program in molecular pharmacology offered through Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Pharmacology, and funded by the American Society for Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-sponsored Summer Program in Undergraduate Research. Open to sophomores and juniors who have strong academic records and have completed at least one laboratory course prior to application. Stipend $3,000 plus lodging, travel funds and food allowance. Application Deadline: January 31, 2014
  • Undergraduate Research, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
    Various opportunities for juniors and seniors to gain hands-on experience in laboratory techniques and to explore careers in biomedical research.
  • Undergraduate Research, Cleveland Clinic Center for Reproductive Medicine, July-August
    A seven-week program including state-of-the-art lectures, cutting edge bench research, and opportunities to write scientific research articles for publication in medical journals. The focus of this internship is on human infertility and reproductive medicine research with world-renowned scientists from the Cleveland Clinic Center for Reproductive Medicine. Open to medical or undergraduate students interested in a medical career. Application Deadline: March 1, 2014
  • The Cleveland Foundation Summer Internships Program
    Since 1999, the Cleveland Foundation has conducted a summer internship program that provides undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates an opportunity to work for 11 weeks in Cleveland-area nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies. Application Deadline: February 14, 2014
  • The NASA Glenn Research Center Research Internships
    The Lewis’ Educational and Research Collaborative Internship Project at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio consists of internships for High School Students, College Students, and Secondary School Teachers. Application Deadline: 2014 TBA
  • Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), July (a year long program)
    The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) provides an outstanding environment for students who feel additional preparation in research is needed. PREP Scholars enjoy mentored research experience, graduate courses, GRE workshops, and a variety of venues to interact with and learn from some of the best researchers in the world. Application Deadline: March 31, 2014
  • Additionally, students may find research opporutunites through the Case Western Reserve University Office of Undergraduate Studies, off campus, through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, through the National Science Foundation, and in Cleveland.

Research Opportunity: Project FRESH (Female Relationship Experiences and Sexual Health)

Con­tact Name: Kelly Kajumulo

Con­tact Email: kellyfk[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Psychology

Descrip­tion:

Bill George, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Kelly Cue Davis, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

The primary objective of the proposed research is to investigate the independent and interactive effects of alcohol-related factors and absence or presence of victimization history factors in women on heterosexual HIV risk. Research indicates that sexual activity with infected male partners is the primary mode of HIV transmission for women, and that women who have experienced child sexual abuse or later sexual assault exhibit elevated HIV risk indices.

Using a community sample of females who have sex with men, the proposed study involves three phases: an initial baseline survey examining background factors such as the absence or presence of victimization history, a 31-day daily diary period examining the daily frequency of and reasons for or against alcohol consumption and sexual activity, and a laboratory investigation examining the effects of alcohol consumption and responses to a hypothetical sexual interaction with a man (n=600). The findings of this study will further refine theories regarding alcohol’s role in risky sexual behavior due to either an absence or presence of victimization and will provide novel information for HIV prevention and education programs concerning the influence of alcohol intoxication and the victimization of women on heterosexual HIV risk.

Responsibilities will vary depending on the student’s interests, availability, skills, and other logistical requirements of the experiment. The following are areas where student help is needed:

Recruit Participants

• Prepare and post ads/flyers for subject recruitment
• Contact people for subject recruitment
• Schedule subjects
• Prepare subject materials
• Conduct telephone screening of subjects
• Enter screening information into a screening and tracking database
• Prepare and send participant correspondence

Assist with Project Administration

• Coding qualitative data
• Research and manage library materials
• Perform literature searches
• Assist with necessary office tasks including: copying, filing, errands, cleaning, etc.
• Assist with data handling

Conduct Experiments

• Only 499s who have at least one quarter experience working with the project and have displayed exceptional capability will be eligible to conduct experiments.
• This task requires extensive training (including Human Subjects Certification) and a longer term commitment.

All students will be required to complete the CITI online human subjects training certification course prior to having any contact with potential participants. This training will be done as a part of the 499 commitment unless the student has already received certification.

Students will be required to attend a weekly journal club or arrange an independent assignment with senior research staff.

All Tasks will be performed with the help and direction of the Principal Investigator, Graduate Research Assistants and other project staff.

Require­ments:

Psychology, Public Health, Sociology, or other social science major. Psychology coursework, including Psych 209 (Research Methods) or comparable. Commitment of at least 2 quarters (2 credits/6 hrs per week)

Because of the sensitive nature of the study, all research assistants who have contact with study participants must be female (same gender as study participants).

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