The Green Fellows program, offered jointly by The University of Texas at Dallas and the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, provides a semester-long, fully paid undergraduate research fellowship. The program is most appropriate for those students interested in PhD or MD/PhD pathways after graduation from UT Dallas.
This week, from 2-4 pm Thursday, May 6, the 2021 participants will give presentations of their research projects (pdf). The presentations are open to the public and highlight the semester-long research undertaken by these extraordinary undergraduates. https://utd.link/green-fellows-poster-session
To compensate for research expenses and time, the Ida and Cecil Green Foundation offers students a $4,000 stipend. Through the program, students earn 12 credit hours doing undergraduate research and maintain their full-time student status at UT Dallas.
No research experience is required to apply but prior lab experience is considered favorable. Selection is based on GPA, application essays, two faculty surveys from UT Dallas professors who evaluate applicants’ potential in advanced research, and an in-person interview with program directors.
At the end of the program, all students give a poster presentation of their research projects under the mentorship of the graduate school faculty at UT Southwestern at the Annual Research Symposium. The program requires one spring semester commitment and students are not allowed to take other classes or hold other jobs.
“About half to two-thirds of the Green Fellows students are NSM majors, although this fluctuates as more neuroscience majors are applying. They will not be taking classes at UT Dallas, but rather earning research credit by working in research labs at UT Southwestern,” said Dr. Michael Biewer, associate dean of undergraduate education for NSM and associate professor of chemistry.
Selected students conduct research in labs with faculty mentors at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Research projects are assigned according to each fellow’s previous training and research interests.
Senior biochemistry major Rebecca Waugh is one of the Green Fellows.
“I’m in the pediatric cardiology MRI lab, which is a biomedical engineering/imaging lab at Children’s Medical Center Dallas through UT Southwestern,” Waugh said. “I’m getting my research credits as upper-elective biology. This program is giving me a great opportunity to explore where medicine and research meet. I am currently choosing between either an MD or an MD/PhD program for my future.
“Being a Green Fellow, I get to work closely with two MD/PhDs, Dr. Tarique Hussain and Dr. Radomir Chabiniok. I’ve already learned a lot about analyzing echocardiographs and cardiac MRIs,” Waugh said. “Being surrounded by these types of people and having this opportunity is invigorating and makes me very excited for my future no matter what I decide.”
Green Fellows gain experience in modern research techniques and plan and execute an experimental strategy to answer a scientific question. The program introduces students to the kinds of projects encountered during postgraduate research training and fosters an understanding of the planning, discipline, and teamwork involved in the pursuit of answers to current questions in the biological sciences.
In addition to intensive research, Green Fellows attend lectures and seminars on the UT Southwestern campus.
Students from the following majors are eligible and encouraged to apply:
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