The University of Washington is announcing an opportunity for students from all over the US to apply for a 2024 summer program exploring neurosurgery and neuroscience.
The annual eight-week program, officially called the Neurological Surgery Summer Student Program, was established in 2008. Its purpose is to serve as an on-the-ground introduction for interested students, with the goal of inspiring them to go into research or medicine as a career. It consists of several elements, including:
- Eight-week long placement into a UW neuroscience lab,
- Observations of neurosurgery in the Operating Room,
- Clinical observations of neurosurgery,
- Lectures on neuroscience, both about general topics and about case studies, and
- A PowerPoint presentation created by the student at the end of the program.
The timeline of the program is as follows:
- Applications open on November 1, and are due by January 1.
- You will be notified of whether or not you were accepted from March 1 to March 15.
- The program starts on June 17, and continues until August 9.
Three to four applicants who come from outside of the Seattle area will be provided housing. Check-in for those students is on June 16, and check out is on August 10.
A stipend of $3,200 is provided for all accepted applicants who are college students. A high school student receives a stipend of $2,667, and must be 18 or older to participate.
The program is targeted toward students who are underrepresented in STEM fields, such as women and People of Color.
According to official data, entering the program is extremely competitive. Just 14 out of 449 applicants were accepted into the 2023 program. Over the years, students from dozens of states have participated.
According to the UW, this program has resulted in over 25 participants going on to medical school or neuroscience programs.
To apply, or to ask any question, email nssp@uw.edu.
