The Loyola University Maryland Biology Department hosted 24 undergraduate research summer interns from across the country for two one-week course sessions in Laboratory Practices and Techniques this year. This program is part of the Nathan Schnaper Summer Internship Program (NSIP) in Translational Cancer Research at the University of Maryland Greenbaum Cancer Center. Interns come from college campuses across the United States to participate in the 11-week NSIP program which provides research and clinical experiences to students interested in careers in cancer research. At the start of the summer experience, interns attend the Laboratory Practices and Techniques (LPT) course on the Loyola campus to learn commonly used biomedical laboratory techniques so they can begin their research projects in individual research laboratories at the University of Maryland with skills and confidence. Additionally, the Laboratory Practices and Techniques course at Loyola provides an opportunity for NSIP interns to get to know each other and builds a community of peers before they begin working in different laboratories for the summer.
Each year, the NSIP internship program admits one to three Loyola students. This year’s NSIP interns are Gillian Blackwood and Ally Jerrett. Additionally, several Loyola students working in biology laboratories for the summer as Hauber summer interns or volunteers were able to participate in the LPT course (John Mirachi, Kristen Battista, Maddie Valentine, and Matt Sanford). This year’s LPT course was run by four faculty members in the Biology Department: Dr. Lisa Scheifele (instructor), Dr. Christopher Thompson (instructor), Dr. Armina Kazi (instructor), and Dr. Theresa Geiman (course director and instructor). The LPT course is funded as a sub-award of an NIH R25 Cancer Training Grant through the National Cancer Institute. Loyola has been conducting the LPT course as a sub-awardee of this NIH grant since 2015. Loyola students interested in applying to the NSIP program can find out more about the program and LPT course by contacting Dr. Geiman (tmgeiman@loyola.edu) or visiting the NSIP program website (https://www.umms.org/umgccc/healthcare-professionals/crcera/undergraduate/translational-cancer-research-intern-program ). Applications are generally due in early to mid-February.
