Summer Internships

In the past few weeks, a couple of students have approached me asking if I would be willing to take them on as a summer intern.  I scrabbled around to gather some information on the sort of scheme that these students were after.

Here are my summer internship pass-notes:

• Typically they offer £180-£200 per week to the student to engage in a research 6-10 week project during their summer holidays.
• Whilst students should liaise with their proposed PI during the application process, they are generally expected to write the application.
• Students considering internships should be interested in pursuing research as a career after the completion of their degree and should be on course for a solid 2i or 1st class degree.
• Closing dates tend for the various schemes tend to be towards the end of February/March.

Here are some links to schemes I am aware of that would be particularly suitable for me as PI, along with some points specific to each:

The BPS Undergraduate Research Assistantship Scheme: £200 per week, for a 6-8 week project.  PI must be a member of the BPS. Student must be in the punultimate year of their degree. Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scholarship: £180 per week for 8 week project.  Student must be in a middle year of their degree. St Andrews Undergraduate Research Internship Programme: PI must be a researcher at the University of St Andrews. Nuffield Undergraduate Research Bursary in Science: £180 per week for 6-8 week project.  Student must be in a middle year of their degree. UPDATE 28/12/2010: Here another scheme from Medical Research Scotland: Medical Research Scotland Vacation Scholarship: £180 per week plus £50 per week for the sponsoring lab.  Placements must be in Scottish universities.  Applications must be made by potential supervisors, not students.