Program Activities

The MARC U*STAR program at Florida International offers our trainees unique opportunities including:

• Research with faculty on-campus
• Summer research internships
• Publication of their research findings in scientific journals
• Public speaking opportunities, including local and national forums for scientific research presentations
• Preparation for graduate school or post-baccalaureate programs

Annual Workshops & Events

• Orientation to the FIU MARC U*STAR Program and Faculty/Labs
• Preparing for Graduate School
• Info sessions with various representatives from grad programs across the nation  
• Study Skills and Resources
• CPR/AED Certification
• First Aid Certification
• Preparing Scientific Presentations
• Data Bases & Library Searches
• Responsible Conduct of Research
• Lab Safety Workshops

• EPA: Hazardous Waste Handling
• Environmental Awareness PT 2: waste and chemical
• Small Spills and Leaks

• Scientific Concept Mapping
• Communications Skills Workshop

Presentation Opportunities

• Biomedical Mini Symposium (fall)
• Annual Biomedical Conference for Minority Students (fall)
• Biological Sciences Research Life Symposium (spring)
• Careers in Science: Undergraduate Student Conference (spring)
• Biomedical & Comparative Immunology Symposium (spring)
• And many more conferences…

Other Activities

• Monthly meeting w/ fellows and Program Director and Coordinator
• Letter to a non-science friend or family member describing her/his research
• Honors Thesis
• Trainees prepare an honors thesis on their on-campus research. The thesis is prepared during the second semester of the senior year.  
• Kick-Off and Term-End Informal Gatherings
• Continuous biomedical laboratory research with mentor

Full Participation in Research

The major student research training effort takes place at designated laboratories. MARC U*STAR Fellows are trained in laboratory techniques, data collection and analysis, as well as in literature searches. MARC U*STAR Fellows give an oral presentation at the annual FIU MBRS Mini-Symposium and are involved in all phases of the research process.

Departmental Seminar Series

Scientific seminars increase MARC U*STAR Fellows' exposure to biomedical research. These seminars include the departmental series in Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry, etc. as well as the seminars sponsored, for example, by the MARC U*STAR Program, MBRS Program, FIU Biomedical Engineering Program, and the FIU Comparative Immunology Group.

Academic Advisement

• Aside from the advising provided by the MARC U*STAR Fellows' home department, the MARC U*STAR Program will provide advising, informally by the faculty mentor and other members of the lab and formally by the MARC U*STAR Program Director.