SC LIFE Undergraduate Research Program

Howard Hughes Medical Institute supports up to 90 undergraduate research projects at Clemson University, Benedict College, Claflin University, and Morris College by providing $550 in supplies for each undergraduate research project and travel to a multi-university Research Colloquium.  Clemson awards are restricted to projects in biology, applied biology, and medicine involving faculty in the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Science (CAFLS) and the Department of Bioengineering and are aimed at students who desire to go into biology or medicine.  There is no restriction on class standing and faculty and students develop their own pairings.  

In 2008/2009  Clemson had 65 undergraduate students conducting research with 33 faculty members.  Benedict, Claflin and Morris have a combined 18 students working with 8 faculty.  On April 4, 2009 the students gathered and presented their findings in both an oral and poster presentation at the 7th SC LIFE Colloquium of Undergraduate Research at Morris College in Sumter, SC.  

Faculty, click here for the 2009-2010 application/flyer.  Email foulk@clemson.edu for an electronic version.

SC LIFE has created a publication on creating posters for professional meetings. Click on the following link if you would like to download Guidelines for Creating a Poster for a Professional Meeting as a pdf file.

See programs from previous SC LIFE Colloquia of Undergraduate Research:

02-03 Colloquium of Undergraduate Research - Benedict College

03-04 Colloquium of Undergraduate Research - Claflin University

04-05 Colloquium of Undergraduate Research - Morris College

05-06 Colloquium of Undergraduate Research - Clemson University

06-07 Colloquium of Undergraduate Research - Benedict College

07-08 Colloquium of Undergraduate Research - Claflin University

08-09 Colloquium of Undergraduate Research - Morris College

SC LIFE International Undergraduate Research Program

As part of the SC LIFE Project, we send one  undergraduate student for an international life science research experience over the summer.  This research experience is arranged by the student and the SC LIFE faculty member in collaboration with the international partner.  SC LIFE through HHMI provides up to $5000 for travel and support.  Faculty, click here for instructions on how to nominate your student for the 2010 summer program (applications due November 15, 2009).

	In the summer of 2009 SC LIFE sent Biological Sciences major, Monique McKiever, to Lisbon, Portugal for 8 weeks to conduct research with Dr. Maria Manuel Mota at the Institute of Molecular Medicine.  Monique worked with researchers interested in determining which host factors inhibit or benefit the growth of the parasite Plasmodium berghei , the causative agent of Malaria. The objective was to determine whether the host’s protein Rab 5 is important in the parasite’s establishment in the host. Poster
In 2009, Microbiology major, Thomas Niemeier, traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa and stayed for 2 1/2 months conducting research with Dr. Valerie Mizrahi at the Molecular Mycobacterium Research Unit of the University of Witwatersrand.  Thomas said, “My research focused on understanding the genetic mechanism of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis - the causative agent of the tuberculosis infection. Specifically I worked on characterizing the process by which the bacterium is able to change to a highly mutagenic phenotype.” Poster
	DON MACKAY, Biological Sciences • Summer 2008, 3 months • Traveled to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia to work under  Dr. Simon Foote at the Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania • “I studied the differences in white cell response between two different strains of mice infected with malaria (P. chabaudi).  This was to investigate the influences of the mutation of a thrombopoietin receptor, MPL, on malaria resistance.” • SC LIFE Undergraduate Research Program Mentor –   Dr. Weiguo Cao, Department of Genetics and Biochemistry Poster
DAVID JACOBS, Microbiology • Summer 2007, 6 weeks • Traveled to Rijeka, Croatia to work under Dr. Marina Šantić at the Medicinski Fakultet Rijeka (Medical School of Rijeka).  • “I studied parts of the mechanism by which Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis), an accidental human pathogen, invades and avoids the immune system. I studied the early and late stages of the infection process (as yet, they were not well-understood) in an effort to understand how we could hinder infection.” “Learning to work with human tissue cultures in Croatia gave me a better understanding of my discipline and a broader view of America's standing in the scientific world.” • SC LIFE Undergraduate Research Program Mentor – Dr. Tamara McNealy, Department of Biological Sciences Poster