Summer Internships in Biology

Internship programs in biology. Some information here has been updated for 2009. Within each category, sites are listed more or less geographically, radiating outward from the center of our universe (Morningside Heights).

Internships in New York City | Biomedical laboratory research - elsewhere | Ecology and environmental sciences | Marine biology | Other biology | For minorities | Summer coursework | Summer jobs

Additional lists of summer programs may be found at these sites:
Yale University A Guide to Summer Research Opportunities For Undergraduate Students In Science And Engineering.
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Program.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Science Opportunities.
Syracuse University. Summer programs for pre-health professions, listed by state.
Internship database, Michigan State University. Search by area of biology.

Columbia University's Career Services has additional information on internships. You can also visit their walk-in resource center on East Campus.

Internships in New York City (Those limited to minorities are listed separately, below.)

• Columbia University  Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program.  Only Columbia and Barnard undergraduates are eligible.
• Columbia University Amgen Scholars Program For Columbia/Barnard undergraduates as well as students from other U.S. universities.
• Columbia University Chemistry research.
• Columbia University Center for Environmental Research & Conservation hosts the Summer Ecosystems Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U).
• Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Summer Internship Program for undergraduates.
• Columbia University Earth Intern Program for Columbia and Barnard Undergraduates.
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Biology.
• New York University- School of Medicine.   Biomedical sciences.
• New York University - Center for Neural Science. Neuroscience.
• Rockefeller University. Biomedical sciences. 
• Sloan Kettering Institute Biomedical sciences.
• Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biological Sciences. Biomedical sciences.
• Bronx Zoo Work with children in the zoo's camp program.
• Student Conservation Association Internships for college graduates in NY.
• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories 10 week summer undergraduate research program (URP).
• Irene and Eric Simon Brain Research Foundation Funding for a summer research internship in neuroscience.

Biomedical laboratory research - elsewhere (Those limited to minorities are listed separately, below.)

• California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. Amgen Scholars Program.
• Howard University, Washington, DC. Amgen Scholars Program.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. Amgen Scholars Program.
• Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA. Amgen Scholars Program.
• University of California, Berkeley, CA. Amgen Scholars Program.
• University of California, Los Angeles, CA. Amgen Scholars Program.
• University of California, San Diego, CA. Amgen Scholars Program.
• University of California, San Francisco, CA. Amgen Scholars Program.
• University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Amgen Scholars Program.
• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island, NY. Biology. .
• UMDNJ - Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Stratford, NJ. Molecular/cellular biology.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, NY. Biology and chemistry. 
• University of Buffalo Summer Research Institute in Biomedical Materials Science and Engineering
• Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ. Neuroscience.
• University of Connecticut Health Center, Quantitative cell biology.
• Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME. Genetic basis of disease.
• National Institute of Health, Bethesda MD.   Biomedical research.
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC.
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Pharmacology.  
• University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Behavioral neuroscience and psychology.
• Emory University, Atlanta, GA.    All areas of biology, primate behavior.
• Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH. Developmental biology.
• Loyola University - Stritch School of Medicine, Chicago IL.   Microbiology and immunology. 
• Indiana University, Bloomington IN.   Animal Behavior.
• Indiana University, Bloomington IN. Several programs.
• University of Wisconsin, Madison WI.   Bacteriology.
• Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.   Biomedical sciences.  
• University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.   All areas of biology
• University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.   Pharmacology.
• Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Biomedical Research Apprenticeship.   
• Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.  All areas of biomedical sciences.
• University of Texas, San Antonio, TX.    Biomedical lab research and clinical activity.
• University of Texas, Galveston, TX.    Biomedical sciences.
• W.M. Keck Center for Computational Biology, Houston, TX.   Computational biology.   
• U.S. Department of Energy. Energy research undergraduate laboratory fellowship.
• Weizmann Institute of Science Summer undergraduate research program, Israel.
• Institute Pasteur Paris, France. Zuccaire Undergraduate Summer Internship.
• Cornell Medical School Gateways to the laboratory summer program
• Humboldt State University 10-week Summer program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
• Conservation International & University of Virginia internship program
• UCSF Nine week summer research opportunties in biological, biomedical, and behavioral sciences.
• University College Dublin UREKA-Summer research experience for undergraduates in molecular and cellular biology.
• Thomas Jefferson University Summer undergraduate research program
• RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) Undergraduate research in biology in Germany
• Northwestern University Institute for Nanotechnology Summer internships in nanomedicine and bionanotechnology
• Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont, CA. Summer REU Program in biotechnology & bioengineering.
• Virginia Tech, Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Summer Institute
• University of Chicago, 10 week summer research program at the Chicago Center for Systems Biology

Ecology and environmental studies

• The Student Conservation Association
• Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Milbrook NY.   Ecology.
• University of Colorado Boulder, CO. Behavior, ecology, evolution.
• Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO. Field ecology..
• Point Reyes Bird Observatory, CA. Ornithology & field biology.  No deadline, but best to apply early.
• Organization of Biological Field Stations. Lists field stations in US and overseas that are members of OBFS, many have summer programs (internships, courses, or volunteer work) in ecology and environmental studies.
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Chesapeake Bay, MD.   Environmental research and education.
• Environmental Careers Organization. Postings of nationwide internships in environmental fields.
• School for Field Studies. Summer internship after completion of BA/BS degree.
• Operation Wallacea Biodiversity, forest biology, marine sciences in Indonesia.
• Mote Marine Laboratories Research experience for undergraduates (REU)
• ACEER Foundation. An exploration of plant based medicines from the Amazon and Andes.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Summer student fellowships.

Marine biology - internships and courses 

• Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL. Estuarine science in Charlotte Harbor.
• Boston University/Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. Coastal bays of New England.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,  Woods Hole, MA. Marine biology.
• Marine Biological Laboratory, Summer interships. Woods Hole, MA. Marine biology.
• Marine Science Center (Northeastern U), Summer courses, near Boston.
• Shannon Point Marine Center, Puget Sound, WA. Marine sciences. Note additional Jan-June internship for minorities.
• Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA.   Marine biology. 
• Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, ME.   Marine biology. 
• Center for Great Lakes Studies - UW-Milwaukee. Aquatic environments.
• Bermuda Biological Research Station. Marine biology courses and volunteer internships.
• Southampton College, Long Island, NY.  Courses in whale and dolphin behavior in Australia.
• Blakely Island Field Station, (Seattle Pacific University). Courses in marine biology and ecology.  
• SeaCamp, Big Pine Key, FL.  Staff/intern positions may be available.
• Whitney Laboratory Marine Biology at the U. Florida. Summer research internships in cell, molecular & neurobiology
• Marineland Dolphin Conservation Center Internships.
• Marine Biomedicine Sciences Center and Environmental Sciences Center. Summer fellowships for undergraduates in marine biology.
  

Other areas of biology

• Primate behavior. A listing of internships and volunteer positions, around the world.
• Hartford Hospital. Premed internship, clinical research and patient treatment.
• Summerbridge. Sites around the country, including Manhattan and Bronx. Get teaching experience.
• Advanced Studies Program - St. Paul's School, Concord, NH. Science teaching internship, field and lab work.
• National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Systematics, evolution. 
• University of Minnesota - Supercomputing Institute, Minneapolis, MN.   Scientific computing, graphics and medicine.
• California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA.   Biological illustration. 
• National Zoological Park, Washington DC. Zoo research. December deadline.
• Smithsonian InstitutionOther opportunities.
• National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates
• Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy Internships; clean and maintain NYCs waterways; summer and fall
• Astrobiology Summer Program at Penn State: 10 week internships for undergraduates.
• Computational & Systems Biology at Iowa State University: 8 week program for undergrads and first-year grad students
• GHEI Summer Serve & Learn: help the Ghana Health & Education Initiative implement its programs.
  

For students from disadvantaged backgrounds or minorities

• Summer Medical & Dental Education Program .  free, six-week summer medical & dental school preparatory program
• National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD.  Undergraduate Scholarship Program
• New York University School of Medicine. Includes lab or clinical research.
• UNCF-MerckTwo summers of lab research at Merck, in Rhway, NJ or West Point PA, plus academic scholarship.
• University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine. Pre-med enrichment program, includes lab or clinical research.
• BioMed RAPWashington University in St. Louis.
• University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.  Molecular and organismal biology, genetics, biochemistry.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Minority Fellowships in Oceanography for Undergraduates
  
• Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Biomedical research.
• Harvard-MIT HST Summer Institute, Boston, MA. Biomedical optics or bioinformatics.
• Boston University, Boston, MA.
• Tufts University, Boston, MA.  
• Caltech, Pasadena, CA. Biology, physics, math, earth sciences, chemistry.
• University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.  Biology.  
• Centers for Disease Control. Various programs, various deadlines.
• University of Pennsylvania, Center of Excellence on Minority Health. Pre-med enrichment, includes research.
• Leadership Alliance. Minority Internation Research Training Program.
• Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Biomedical Research Apprenticeship.
• Mit Summer Research Program   (MSRP) Sophomores and Juniors interested in Science & Engineering
• MURF Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Pasadena, CA. Ten-week summer research opportunity.
• NASA Science and Technology Institute Summer Scholars: via UNCF Special Programs. Ten week program for undergrads in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
• Mentorship for Environmental Scholars: via UNCF Special Programs. 9 week paid internship; lab research in biotechnology, computer science, environmental science and engineering.
• MUST Program: via UNCF Special Programs. Awards scholarships and internships to undergraduate students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math degrees
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: research opportunities geared toward students with strong academic standing who are from populations underrepresented in biomedical research

Summer courses - Tuition is charged

• Columbia University - SEE-U. Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates, at Black Rock Forest, NY, Brazil.
• La Suerte and Ometepe Biological Field Stations, Costa Rica & Nicaragua.  Variety of courses
• School for Field Studies. Hands-on environmental courses Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Kenya, West Indies.
• Institute for Field Education, Northwest Territories, Canada,   Arctic field ecology. 
• Wolf Park, Indiana.   Wolf behavior, environmental education.
• Wildland Studies (San Francisco State U) Field explorations in remote environments to protect wildlife and wildands.
• Health care delivery in the US and the UK. England and Scotland.
• University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine: VMD/Ph.D. program; biomedical research in zoonotic infectious diseases.

Summer jobs

• Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.   Tutoring, lab assistants in program for high school students. 

Back to: Undergraduate Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University.