Amgen Scholars Program funds summer research experiences for undergraduates

Johns Hopkins will receive $245,000 over two years to offer summer research experiences for undergraduates from around the country who are limited by socioeconomic status or have fewer opportunities to pursue research at their home institutions. The funding is part of the next two-year phase of the Amgen Scholars Program, which Hopkins joined in 2019. In each year of the new phase, 10 scholars will be placed in labs across the university, supervised by faculty who volunteer to serve as mentors in the program.

"It brings a dynamic atmosphere around campus, because these are all spectacular students," said Kirsten Bohn, the program's PI and assistant research professor in the Behavioral Biology Program. "Many faculty members stay in contact with their mentees, and some are recruited as grad students to Johns Hopkins, so it benefits both the students and the faculty."

Since joining the program four years ago, Hopkins has hosted 49 scholars from 41 universities in 24 states. The rising juniors and seniors work full-time on independent research projects as members of Hopkins labs, where they conduct research, analyze data, network with peers, and build a faculty-mentor relationship. Their research is under the guidance of faculty members in departments including biology, biophysics, chemistry, neuroscience, pharmacology and molecular sciences, biomedical engineering, and materials science and engineering.

Scholars receive a stipend and housing, attend professional development workshops and a science boot camp to support STEM career goals, and participate in the annual Amgen Scholars Symposium.

The new phase brings the Amgen Foundation's total investment to $80 million, supporting about 6,000 scholars by 2025. In all, 25 universities and research institutes worldwide will now offer scholars a taste of cutting-edge, intensive research under top faculty members. Host sites span the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia, and Canada. New sites this year are Howard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The deadline for potential scholars to apply for the program is Feb 1. Faculty members interested in volunteering should contact Kirsten Bohn.