Summer Biomedical Science Program in Bioinformatics
The University of Toledo’s Department of Neurosciences is accepting applications for its 2024 Summer Biomedical Science Program in Bioinformatics.
Grow personally and professionally through this challenging and enriching experience. Get immersed in interactive learning experiences for 20 days with our didactic sessions, workshops, team meetings, and keynote lectures where you will:
- Master bioinformatics techniques and analyze RNAseq datasets
- Learn coding and R studio for advanced data analysis
- Explore ethical and societal implications of AI, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion in science
- Improve writing skills and publish a biomedical research paper
- Learn from experts and gain access to supercomputing resources
- Unlock secrets of the genome and build a foundation in cloud computing
- Develop in-demand skills for your career and educational goals
Virtual Program Details
- Week 1: June 17 – June 22, 2024 (no camp June 19 due to holiday)
- Week 2: June 24 – June 29, 2024
- Week 3: July 1 – July 3, 2024 (no camp July 4 - July 6 due to holiday)
- Week 4: July 8 – July 13, 2024
Cost: $2800
Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. for lectures/didactics/workshops and evening hours for project specific team/group work
Camp Technology requirements:
Microsoft office (Word and Endnote) installed prior to start of camp.
Computer required
Admissions:
Applicants are evaluated for admissions based on their academic performance in high school, test scores (if available: PSAT, SAT or ACT), AP courses. Admitted students will receive a separate email communication with instructions to register and provide legal forms for completion.
Still Accepting Admissions application.
Dr. Robert Smith - Camp Director
Dr. Robert Smith (aka McCullumsmith) completed his B.S. degree with highest distinction and Honors in biochemistry from Indiana University in 1990. He completed his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in 1997, and he completed a research track residency in Psychiatry in 2002. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious ACNP travel award, the ACP Laughlin Fellowship, the ECNP Rafaelsen Scholar, as well as the Kempf Fund award from the APA. He has been continuously funded for the past 17 years by NIMH, with work focusing on the pathophysiology of complex brain disorders, including schizophrenia. His recent work includes using bioinformatics approaches to test hypotheses using large publicly available databases, with the goal of repurposing or first-purposing FDA approved drugs or library-sourced compounds, respectively. Dr. Smith is currently the Chair of the Neurosciences department at the University of Toledo College of Medicine, the Research Director of the ProMedica Neurosciences Center, Toledo, OH, USA. He also serves as the Editor-in Chief of the biomedical research journal Translation and is the Director of the M.D./Ph.D. program at The University of Toledo.
Dr. Smith has published more than 130 peer-reviewed publications, and he has mentored 100s of learners, including high school, college, graduate, and professional students and postdoctoral fellows. Students he has mentored have attended Yale, UT Southwestern, MIT, UPenn, U Michigan, and many other top institutions.
Camp structure:
Teams: Team will consist of 3-4 student campers, one counselor, and one faculty member. The goal of each team will be to use bioinformatics techniques to answer an important question in Biomedical research.
Projects: Each team project will be selected in collaboration with the faculty member on each team. Projects may span a broad spectrum of medicine and will focus on analyses of large gene expression datasets to ask and answer important questions in a specific field. Each team will write up their project for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Students on each team will be included as authors on their manuscript.
2023 camp highlights
Summer Biomedical Science Program in Bioinformatics published papers
O’Donovan, et al : Translation
Hu, et al: Translation
"Participating in the Bioinformatics Summer Program was an amazing and invaluable scientific experience! The faculty, instructors, and camp advisors were incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and kind. I recommend this camp to anyone interested in pursuing STEM." - 2023 Camper
"I enjoyed doing actual professional research, it feels accomplishing to have found novel information that could alter someone's life for the better." - 2023 Camper