Independent research, summer research, honors thesis research, and/or EXCEL Scholars Research are important educational experiences that can help prepare you for graduate-level work in the health professions. You may obtain beneficial research experience at Lafayette as well as at a university or national laboratory offering undergraduate summer research. Many summer research experiences are competitive and difficult to obtain. Check with the Gateway Career Center as well as departmental bulletin boards and newsletters for information regarding research opportunities and/or speak with your adviser/s, departmental faculty or Professor Nancy Waters. Many departments maintain lists of summer research opportunities.

Additionally, you are strongly encouraged to look into the various NSF-REU Summer programs available for students in the sciences, engineering and the social sciences, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website for posted opportunities. The NIH offers a wide array of programs for students from all disciplines and different stages in their undergraduate, postgraduate, graduate, and professional careers not just those in biomedical fields. In fact, the NIH wants students from all disciplines and areas of interest including students in the humanities, social sciences, and law.

The NIH has internship programs of various lengths including summer programs, postbac trainee programs, medical school student programs, and programs for graduate students. In addition to the NIH Undergraduate Summer Program, the NIH offers a wide array of programs including, but not limited to, the NIH-IRTA (Intramural Research Training Award) and NIH-GPP (Graduate Partnership Program).

Students are also encouraged to visit our External Scholarships website for listings of other nationally competitive-based scholarship opportunities.