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Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURFs)

The School of MCB is grateful to be able to award a number of Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURFs) to students each year thanks to the generosity of our alumni, friends, and corporate sponsors. The fellowship offers undergraduates the opportunity to work in a laboratory with faculty, graduate students, and research staff over the course of eight to 12 weeks during the summer. Fellows spend between 20 and 40 hours per week conducting research. They also participate in laboratory meetings, journal clubs, and seminars. At the end of their research experience, students write a brief summary to share with faculty and sponsors. They are also encouraged to present at the MCB Undergraduate Research Symposium, held annually in the fall.

10 Illinois students, including MCB majors, selected as Mayo Clinic's 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows

Each year, Mayo Clinic invites around 180 undergraduates from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Sponsored by the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, this 10-week program gives undergraduates a chance to work at the...

MCB students among Beckman Institute's 2022 fellowship, award recipients

Eleven students have been selected to receive 2022 Beckman Institute fellowships and awards. The awards, which fund interdisciplinary research that takes place over the summer, will be celebrated at a virtual gathering on July 29, 2022.

Congratulations to student award winners!

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce the winners of its 2021-2022 student awards, fellowships, and scholarships. These awards recognize academic achievement, research accomplishments, and excellence in teaching. We’re proud to have so many outstanding students....

Quantum leaps in understanding how living corals survive

Coral reefs have thrived for millions of years in their shallow ocean water environments due to their unique partnerships with the algae that live in their tissues. Corals provide a safe haven and carbon dioxide while their algal symbionts provide them with food and oxygen produced from...

MCB undergraduates explore health care innovation

Integrated research, innovative education, and entrepreneurship activities are foundational to the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance’s mission to advance clinical research and translation. Key to that mission is training the next generation of biomedical scientists.

Congratulations to winners of the 2021 MCB Undergraduate Research Symposium

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Alumna and pioneering scientist Carrol Foxall establishes fellowship for undergraduates pursuing summer research

Carrol Foxall and her husband, fellow Illinois graduate Robert Foxall, recently established a new Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to support students in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology on their journeys to becoming well-rounded scholars.

Five MCB students selected as Mayo Clinic’s 2021 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows

Each year, Mayo Clinic invites around 180 undergraduates from across the nation to participate in its Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. We are pleased to share the news that five students from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology will conduct research this summer as...

New summer research fellowship for underrepresented students

The University of Illinois School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce that AbbVie and the Black Business Network in partnership with the school have funded a new Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) that provides financial support for a student conducting research...

Summer undergraduate research in the age of COVID-19

For years, the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology has offered undergraduates the opportunity to pursue hands-on research under the guidance of our accomplished faculty. But when the COVID-19 pandemic effectively shut down campus in spring, it was unclear how or even if undergraduate research...