Summer Research
Overview & Opportunities
It is recognized that student research makes a valuable contribution to the research and education missions of the School of Dentistry. Not only does it provide the chance for students to interact closely with faculty mentors, students are often able to accomplish significant research goals in a summer, leading to increased knowledge in that field, presentation of the research at local venues, and national opportunities and competitions. Finally, summer research offers an excellent opportunity for students to investigate academics and research as a career.
Several opportunities exist for research. The UAB program is anchored by an NIH grant which funds approximately 10 student projects each year. Students may only receive this funding once, according to NIH guidelines. In addition, other projects may be funded, either by individual researchers, department chairs, or by the Dean. The amount of these funds varies each year. Finally, other granting agencies fund student research projects, such as the AADR.
In general, students interested in applying should first identify a mentor with a research focus which appeals to the student. This mentor should be capable and available to assist you in writing the summer research application. If the mentor has space available, he or she will help you identify a project and complete the summer research application.
Students who have received summer research support in the past may still apply to this program, but they are encouraged to apply to other sources for support as well, as preference is given to students who have not yet been funded. Students who apply to the UAB Summer Research Program who have had prior support should include with their application a mentor's evaluation summarizing their previous experience.
Other Research Funding Opportunities
American Association for Dental Research
How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in summer research at UAB. We recognize the vital role research can play in developing critical thinkers, exploring new ideas for patient care, and adding to the knowledge base in science. Steps for applying to the UAB Summer Research Program are outlined below.
- Determine your eligibility status. Students who have received prior support from the summer research program are encouraged to apply to other sources of funding. Additionally, these students must submit a research report from their previous mentor with any new application.
- Choose a mentor. The mentor should be doing research in an area which is interesting to you. The mentor should have the time and availability to assist you with the application, as well as the resources to help you with the project. Ideally, students will find a mentor several months prior to submitting the research application.
- Write the research proposal. For additional information on a solid research proposal, see the "tips" page.
- Submit the application. A completed application will include:
- Completed application form and proposal
- Letter from previous research mentor (if you received summer support in the past)
- IRB approval letter if human research (includes extracted teeth!)
- IACUC approval letter if working with animals
The application deadline is generally around the beginning of May.
Tips for your Application
Each year good students are not selected for summer projects because their proposals omit certain key elements. The introduction should give a general description of the problem to be solved, and why this is important. Write for someone not in this field, but be convincing in your statements about the need for this research. Outline enough work to justify a 3-month project, but not so much that it can't be accomplished. References are appropriate, although more than 10 is not usually needed.
The overview section should state a clear and testable hypothesis. The statement "Teeth exposed to 10% carbamide peroxide for 10 hours will have lower Knoop hardness values compared to controls," is a testable statement. However, "This project will look at effects of bleach on teeth," is vague, implies no test, and is less likely to be funded. Again, the scope of the project should be suitable for a 3-month endeavor.
In the methods section, include sufficient detail to convince a reviewer you know enough to actually do the project. You MUST include a plan for data analysis in your proposal. Generally, this is a sentence or two describing statistics for the project. Equipment for the project must be readily available to you. Generally, simpler is better. A good strategy may be to select a narrow question of interest, state a clear hypothesis, and then write out a section for methods testing which will actually answer this question.
Projects involving animals without IACUC approval in place at the time of review will not be funded.
Projects involving human research (including extracted teeth) which do not have IRB approval at the time of review will not be funded.
The following criteria (in no particular order) are used to evaluate each proposal: student's interest in academics/research, clarity of proposal, project of appropriate scope, established methods, mentor with experience in this area, GPA of student, prior funding status of student, publication history of lab, general interest of proposal, statistical plan for data, and a clear and testable hypothesis.
For Mentors
As a teacher and a mentor, it is difficult to turn away students interested in doing summer research. It is the opinion of the Research Advisory Committee, however, that it is in the best interest of the students to limit mentors to one student each summer. In the most productive, research intensive labs, perhaps two students would be appropriate. If a faculty member sponsors more than one project, the RAC will rank the proposals sponsored by that faculty member and only consider the best proposal (or perhaps the best two proposals).
Requirements for research mentors are:
- Full-time faculty at UAB
- Sufficient resources to accommodate student project
- IRB and/or IACUC approval as necessary at the time of proposal review
For more information, please contact:
School of Dentistry 812
phone 205-934-1693