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.

Headshot of Angelina Wilton

MCB SURF student co-authors publication under mentorship of alumnus at Mayo Clinic

Each year, Mayo Clinic invites approximately 180 undergraduate students from across the nation to participate in their SURF program, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading medical centers. As part of the...
The 2022 Illinois SURF cohort pose around the Mayo Brothers statue outside Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN

Illinois undergrads share their Mayo Clinic research experience

Each year, Mayo Clinic invites approximately 180 undergraduate students from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading...
Gloved hands working with a pipette. Person's face can't be seen. They are in a lab coat and the background is a lab.

New therapeutic target identified for triple-negative breast cancer

Breast cancer is categorized into three major subtypes: hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive, and triple-negative. Although there are targeted therapeutic approaches for the first two, there are limited options for triple negative-breast cancer patients. In a new study, researchers have...
Neha Arun reviews imaging of host-pathogen interactions in a darkly lit room, with her face illuminated by the screen.

Meet MCB: Undergraduate researcher Neha Arun

MCB major Neha Arun shares her experiences working as an undergraduate researcher in Professor Collin Kieffer's lab in the Department of Microbiology, as well as a look at life outside the lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Exterior of Mayo Clinic in the summer

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...
Wide exterior shot of the Beckman Institute on a summer day.

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.
Text on photo: Congrats to MCB student award winners. Various pictures from May 2022 awards ceremony interspersed with squares and blocks filled solid with orange and blue.

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....
Picture of coral reef, comparing the chromatophore distribution, green, and the algal distribution, red, in O. faveolata using 3D two-photon laser scanning microscopy.

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...
Headshot of Angelina Wilton.

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.
Tight shots of hands holding equipment in bright blue and purple gloves.

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.