Internships in Biology

Internship programs in biology. Some information here has been updated for 2010. 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

Columbia University's Career Services has additional information on internships in general, and you might find some science-related things there. 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.  For Columbia undergrads only!
• Columbia University BioIGERT Program
• Columbia University Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates Program(SEE-U), Offered by the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC)
• Columbia University (CERC) and Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences(BIOS) 1 week only during Spring Break!
• Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Summer Internship Program for all US citizen undergraduates
• Columbia University Research Experience for Undergraduates(REU), Offered by Columbia Center for Integrated Science and Engineering
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)
• American Heart Association - Undergraduate Student Summer Fellowship Program for students
• New York University - Center for Neural Science. Neuroscience.
• Rockefeller University Biomedical sciences. 
• Sloan Kettering Institute Biomedical sciences.
• Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biological Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program.
• New York City Department of Health May include lab work.
• State University of New York, Health Science Center Brooklyn. Biomedical sciences.
• Bronx Zoo Work with children in the zoo's camp program.
• Bronx Zoo Enables undergraduates to participate in research and animal care of the bird collection with staff in the Ornithology Department.
• Student Conservation Association Internships for college graduates in NY

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

• Pfizer Biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.
• Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA. Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program (SURIP) 2013
• Department of Clinical PK/PD at Merck Research Laboratories Internship New Jersey and elsewhere
• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island, NY.    Biology.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, NY.   Biology and chemistry. 
• Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Buffalo, NY. Biomedical research.
• UMDNJ - Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Stratford, NJ.   Molecular/cellular biology.
• Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.   Neuroscience.
• University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT. Lab research with clinical/dental experience.
• Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME.   Genetic basis of disease.
• Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA.
• Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA. Biomedical research.
• University of Chicago, Institute for Genomics & Systems Biology, Chicago Center for Systems Biology
• University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. All areas of biology.
• University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA    Neuroscience.  
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. Biochemistry, biophysics, computational biology, biomedical sciences.
• National Institute of Health, Bethesda MD.   Biomedical research. Sounds like seniors are eligible, too.
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC.   Health effects of environmental agents. Seniors may be eligible.
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.   Pharmacology.  
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Biomedical sciences.
• University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Behavioral neuroscience and psychology.
• Emory University, Atlanta, GA.    All areas of biology, primate behavior,. 
• MetroHealth Foundation, Cleveland OH. For Ohio residents only. Clinical lab research.
• University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. Biomedical sciences.
• Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
• Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.   Pharmacology and toxicology.  
• Northwestern University.  Chicago, IL.    Neuroscience, no formal program, though they do accept applications. 
• 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, including molecular, ecology, public health, biomedical engineering, computational neuroscience.  
• University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.   Pharmacology.
• Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Biomedical Research Apprenticeship.   
• Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.  The Summer Medical and Research Training Program ((SMART)
• University of Texas, Health Science Center, Houston, TX.
• University of Texas, San Antonio, TX.    Biomedical lab research and clinical activity.
• University of Texas, Galveston, TX.    The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)
• University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (SURF)
• University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. The Quantitative and Physical Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (QP-SURF) program
• W.M. Keck Center for Computational Biology, Houston, TX.   Computational biology.   
• University of California, Santa Cruz, CA.  Biochemistry. 
• U.S. Department of Energy. Energy research undergraduate laboratory fellowship. Lots of engineering and physics, but also includes health and environmental sciences and biology. At DOE labs around the country, including Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island.  Graduating seniors are eligible.
• Weizmann Institute of Science. Israel.
• Institut Pasteur. Paris, France. Zuccaire Undergraduate Summer Internship.
• Cornell Medical School Educational Programs
• Society of Toxicology Summer research internships
• NHMFL summer undergraduate research fellowship at Florida State University, University of Florida or Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Conservation International and University of Virginia internship program - 3 available positions 1. Mammalian data analysis, 2. literature review on area-demanding species 3. logistical support for biodiversity conference for information contact Charlotte Boyd at cboyd@conservation.org or Jill Lucena at j.lucena@conservation.org
• UCSF 9 week summer research opportunities in biological, biomedical and behavioral sciences
• State University of New York at Buffalo, Research Institute in Biomedical Materials Science & Engineering, Buffalo, NY.
  

Ecology and environmental studies

• Michigan State University Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), East Lansing, MI. Field Ecology and Evolution
• Michigan State University Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URA), East Lansing, MI. Field Ecology and Evolution
• 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.
• Hawk Mountain, Kempton, PA.  Ecology & education. International students eligible.
• 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)
• Fort Worth Zoo, Anegada, British Virgin Islands. Travel to the Briti sh Virgin Islands to help the Anegada Iguana (Cyclura pinguis)
  

Marine biology - internships and courses 

• Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL. Estuarine science in Charlotte Harbor.
• Brown University/Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.  Woods Hole, MA. Marine biology.
• Marine Biology Laboratory Summer interships. Woods Hole, MA. Marine biology.
• Marine Biology Laboratory/ Biological Discovery Summer Opportunity for Undergraduate Research Wood Hole, MA
• Marine Science Center (Northeastern U). Summer courses, near Boston.
• Darling Marine Center (University of Maine), Walpole, ME.    Marine biology.
• Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA.   Marine biology. 
• Mount Deseert Island Biological Laboratory, ME.   Marine biology. 
• Grice Marine Laboratory, Fort Johnson, Charleston, SC.  Marine biology.  
• Shoals Marine Laboratory at Cornell University Undergraduate Internships
• Duke University, Beaufort, NC. Research and marine biology courses.
• 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 wild whale and dolphin behavior and Tropical Marine Ecology 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.
• Pacific Whale Foundation, Hawaii and Australia. Study dolphins. You pay.
• Whitney Laboratory for Marine Biology at the University of Florida. Paid summer research internships in cell, molecular and neurobiology using marine organisms.
• Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation 10-12 week internships
• Marinelands, Animal Care and Training Internship
• SEA Semester, Field programs in Marine and Environmental Studies
• Volunteer in South Africa for Great White Shark Conservation 1-12 weeks internship

Other areas of biology

• Chicago Center for Systems Biology (CCSB) and Conte Center for Computational Neuropsychiatric Genomics, Paid Research Experiences for Undergraduates(REU) for ten-week projects.
• J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD and San Diego, CA.Discover Genomics Science Education Program
• John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates(REU)
• Hartford Hospital. Premed internship, clinical research and patient treatment. Juniors and seniors. For info, write James Hudspeth (jch44) who participated last year.
• National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL.
• Summerbridge. Sites around the country, including Manhattan and Bronx. Get teaching experience, may include science and math.
• Advanced Studies Program - St. Paul's School, Concord, NH. Science teaching internship, field and lab work.
• Kennedy Space Center, Tallahassee, FL. and NASA Undergraduate Student Research Project
• National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Systematics, evolution. 
• Pennsylvania State University, Erie PA.   Mathematical biology.
• 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 Institution Other opportunities.
• Physicians for Social Responsibility. Washington DC. Activist and educational work on public health and environment.
• Society for Toxicology Summer Internship
• National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates
• University of Pittsburgh Computational biology and bioinformatics at the bioengineering & bioinformatics summer institute
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Biophysics.

For students from disadvantaged backgrounds or minorities

• Charles Drew University, Los Angeles, CA. Cancer Research and Training
• National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD.  Undergraduate Scholarship Program for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Includes scholarship and internship for future summers.
• New York University School of Medicine. Includes lab or clinical research.
• UNCF-Merck Two summers of lab research at Merck, in Rhway, NJ or West Point PA, plus academic scholarship. African American only.
• University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine. Pre-med enrichment program, includes lab or clinical research.
• University of Pittsburgh, Medical scientist training program. 
• BioMed RAPWashington University in St. Louis.
• University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.  Molecular and organismal biology, genetics, biochemistry.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine sciences.
• Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Biomedical research.
• Harvard-MIT HST Summer Institute, Boston, MA. Biomedical optics or bioinformatics.
• University of Masschusetts Medical School, Worcester MA. Biomedical Sciences.
• Boston University, Boston, MA. 
• Caltech, Pasadena, CA. Biology, physics, math, earth sciences, chemistry. Includes women, if underrepresented in discipline.
• 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 lab or clinical research.
• Minority Medical Education Program.  To help minorities prepare for medical careers.  At Baylor, Northwestern, Case Western Reserve, Fiske, Yale and the Universities of Washington, Arizona, Alabama, Virginia, Washington.
• 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
• Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Gateways to the Laboratory, 10 week summer program in NYC for minority &/or disadvantaged freshman & sophomores that are interested in pursuing the combined MD-PhD program

Summer courses - Tuition is charged

• Columbia University - SEE-U. Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates, at Black Rock Forest, NY, Brazil. Field ecology.
• Syracuse University Course in Comparative Health Policy and Law, an international study course in London, Amsterdam and Geneva.
• La Suerte and Ometepe Biological Field Stations, Costa Rica & Nicaragua.  Variety of courses,  including primate behavior, tropical herpetology, rainforest ecology, tropical plant ecology, drawing the landscape. 
• Wolf Park, Battle Ground, IN.   Wolf behavior, environmental education.  A unique opportunity.  You pay.
  Wildland Studies (San Francisco State U) Field explorations in remote environments to protect wildlife and wildands.

Summer jobs

• Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.   Tutoring, lab assistants in program for high school students. 
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Lab and other jobs.

Wake-Forest University Environmental internships.

FAS Center for Systems Biology at Harvard, Undergraduate Summer Research Internships

West Virginia University Center for Neuroscience, SURI Program

University of Chicago, Institute for Genomics & Systems Biology, Chicago Center for Systems Biology, REU Program in Systems Biology.

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