Summer Scholars Program

The School of Veterinary Medicine provides an opportunity for current first, second, and third-year veterinary medicine students to work with mentors on a wide variety of research projects. Applications are accepted from students from other schools as well as students from UW–Madison.

The primary goals of our program have been and will continue to be: To provide an opportunity for veterinary medical students in the first 3 years of their veterinary medical education to participate in a research training program that will enhance their appreciation, interest, and knowledge of opportunities for future careers in biomedical research. Besides research opportunities within the SVM community, students can explore research experiences on the greater UW-Madison campus. We also partner with other DVM summer research programs on a national and global scale, including at USDA research centers and on the NIH campus.

In addition to the research experience, our program includes 12 weekly seminars with topics that include Ethics in Research, Career Opportunities, Research Programs of the Faculty Mentors, a “How To” seminar/discussion on writing abstracts, scientific manuscripts, and giving oral flashtalks and poster presentations.

DVM Summer Scholars can also choose to continue their research training in the laboratory of their mentor throughout the year, but this is not required.

Research Day

The School of Veterinary Medicine holds an annual Fall Research Day in October to highlight research accomplishments of the DVM Summer Scholars Program. Research Day includes short talks by representative SVM faculty that are interested in recruiting DVM Summer Scholars followed by a judged poster session. This special symposium provides the Scholars completing the program a chance to discuss the results of their research with faculty, staff and students. They can “showcase” their efforts and accomplishments. It is also a great opportunity for the aspiring applicants to discuss with current Scholars about the program, their experiences and what will be expected of them in if they have the opportunity to join.

National Symposium

Each year, all DVM Summer Scholars are invited to share their research at the Boehringer Ingelheim National Veterinary Scholars Symposium. This is a unique opportunity for DVM student research scholars from all around the country and beyond to share their research projects and ideas. This symposium has proved to be a powerful networking opportunity for veterinary students to interact with and learn about other school programs. The symposium is typically held the first weekend in August.

Program Expectations

  • Student Expectations
    • The Scholar is expected to work 40 hours/week in research activities associated with the program.
    • The Scholar will participate in the weekly one-hour Summer Scholar Professional Development Series. If an absence occurs, the scholar is expected to view the recorded session and submit a 1-2 sentence reflection of the content.
    • The Scholar is expected to participate in science communication sessions including, Elevator Pitches/Flash Talk, Abstract Writing, Poster Preparation, and Scientific Manuscript Strategies
    • Scholars funded by Boehringer Ingelheim or the NIH must attend the Boehringer Ingelheim National Veterinary Summer Scholar Symposium. Other sources of travel support are not guaranteed. Students attending the Symposium are strongly encouraged to present a poster describing their project.
    • Scholars will present a brief Flash Talk at the last Summer Scholar Professional Development Series session as part of the end of summer celebration. Bench-side and faculty mentors and labs will be invited to attend.
    • Scholars are expected to present their summer symposium poster at Fall Research Day.
    • A Scientific Manuscript describing the research findings is required and due by the end of the following spring semester.
  • Mentor Expectations
    • Mentors will be given the opportunity to take part in an abbreviated Facilitated Research Mentor Training Session
    • The Mentor and Scholar will discuss and sign the Aligning Mentor-Trainee Expectations
    • If applicable, this Aligning Expectation document will also be discussed with any bench-side mentors.
    • The Mentor will facilitate attendance to the Summer Scholar Professional Development Series. If research activities are in direct conflict, prior arrangements should be made.
    • The Mentor will work with their Summer Scholar (along with Summer Scholar leadership) to develop abstracts and posters for the Boehringer Ingelheim National Veterinary Summer Scholar Symposium and final scientific manuscripts.

Dates & Deadlines

February 1, 2025: Applications due. Submit applications online via google form page (APPLICATION LINK)

May 18– August 13, 2025: Program is in session

Wednesdays at 9 a.m., May 21– August 13: Summer Seminar Series. Final session will be flash-talk presentations by Scholars to SVM Community on August 13, 2025 (3-5pm).

August 7-10, 2025:  National Veterinary Summer Scholars Symposium, Spokane, WA

Questions?

Contact Program Directors, Joan Jorgensen, Grayson Doss and/or Jenny Dahlberg (Program Coordinator) for administrative questions.

More information

Application Information

Student Application should include :

  •  Administrative details (to be loaded into google form)
    • Student Applicant’s Demographic details
      • Full legal name, valid email address, DVM Class Year
      • Citizenship status
      • BS or BA degree information (if applicable)
    • Prospective Mentor(s) full name(s)
    • Prospective Mentor(s) IACUC and biosafety protocol numbers and approval dates (if applicable)
  •  Research proposal (loaded as one single PDF application) to contain:
    • Background and Rationale (250 word limit)
      • Background: provide sufficient information for reviewers to understand the foundation for the proposal
      • Rationale: provide information related to previous work or preliminary data that informed the current plan.
      • A clear gap in knowledge should be presented.
    • Significance: indicate the impact on the research field and/or clincial treatment approach given successful outcomes of the present proposal. In other words, answer the question: Why should we care?
    • Hypothesis (1-2 sentences). State the hypothesis so that it can be tested by the proposed objectives and scientific approach.
    • Objectives for the summer (250 word maximum)
      • What techniques/skills will the student learn
      • What role will the student play in the project
      • What type of research experience will the student gain
      • How will this experience impact career orientation decisions
    • A brief description of approaches and methodologies (500 word maximum)
      • Describe experimental design
      • Outline subject groups, analysis for determining replicates or specimens/animals. Where applicable, include sample size calculation and statistical approach that will be used to analyze the data.
      • Specify positive/negative controls where applicable
      • Indicate specific tasks that the student will learn and use to contribute to the study (reviewers will score based on extent of student’s hands-on experience)
      • Specify alternative plans in the event the approach does not progress as planned (reviewers will score on quality of experiences and opportunities for the student to learn, regardless of project outcome)
      • Describe potential experimental outcomes, including alternative explanations if necessary
    • Bibliography/Reference list.

The objectives should clearly indicate how this proposal will provide a quality research experience for the student. We are not interested in funding proposals if the student is not provided with a quality learning experience that allows them to make an informed decision regarding whether or not to consider a research-oriented career in Veterinary Medicine.

The research proposal should be written from the student perspective, with mentor involvement and assistance, but should not be copied verbatim from a mentor’s grant or website.

  • Motivation Statement (To be entered into google form): The student should discuss her/his motivation for examining research as a career option. Include what you expect to gain from this summer experience and how it might impact your future career plans. This section should include a description of previous research experience, if any (no research experience is required). (500 word maximum).

Mentor Components:

This section should be sent to the DVM student applicant to include in the online application as a PDF attachment.

  1. The mentor should prepare a training plan description of how often and in what way they plan to interact with the student during the program and throughout the completion of the project. If a bench-side mentor will be working with the DVM student, describe how the bench-mentor will be incorporated into DVM-student mentoring.
  2. Signed Mentor Statement“I have read this proposal and agree to supervise the project outlined by this student. I understand that this fellowship only provides salary support for the student. I understand that I am responsible for providing the remaining funding and other costs as noted in the budget and can assure the committee that these funds are on hand.”
  3. A budget page should list related research costs outside of the student’s stipend and the source of funding providing support for the project. Do not list the student stipend as these costs will be provided by the program. Costs described should include an approximate costs of all supplies, user fees, and experimental animals. The purpose of including the budget is to provide the student with an idea of the cost of research.
  4. Protocol information: If applicable, provide IACUC and biosafety approval number and dates.
  • Note: All costs except the student stipend must be covered by the faculty mentor!

The following rubric will be used to evaluate applications: Summer Scholars Application Evaluation Rubric

Mentor Information

Below is a list of mentors that have been part of the program in the last few years. Students are encouraged to approach any faculty that share their interests, whether or not they are on this list. There have also been mentors from other schools/colleges at the UW and outside the university (e.g., National Wildlife Health Lab).

Students from outside the school and students who need additional assistance should contact Dr. Jorgensen at least a month before the application is due.

Lisa Arendt Dorte Dopfer Rob Lipinski Susannah Sample
Tracy Baker Johanna Elfenbein Christoph Mans  Joan Jorgensen
Kristin Bernard Tom Friedrich Gillian McLellan Kurt K. Sladky
Sabrina Brounts Tony Goldberg JP Martins Marulasiddappa Suresh
Michael Cahill Erin Lashnits Freya Mowat Masatoshi Suzuki
Starr Cameron Erik Hofmeister Sathish Kumar Adel Talaat
Nigel Cook Troy Hornberger Peter Muir Leandro Teixeira
LaTasha Crawford Becky Johnson Jorge Osorio Lauren Trepanier
Fei Zhao Matt Reynolds Xuan Pan Chad Vezina
Wilmara Salgado Pabon Keith Poulsen Mostafa Zamanian

 

A sampling of projects

Since its inception in 1992 the veterinary medical student research training program has provided an opportunity for more than 180 students to participate in various research projects with UW–Madison faculty.

Examples of past projects have included:

  • Collagen degradation in ruptured canine cruciate ligament
  • Pathogenesis of condylar fractures of the third Metacarpal/third metatarsal bone in thoroughbred racehorses
  • Validation of a neuraminidase real-time RT-PCR panel with migratory bird isolates from Egypt
  • Age-related change and exercise induced plasticity in the hypoglossal nucleus
  • Targeted gene-directed radio sensitization in canine tumor cells
  • West Nile Virus infection in dogs of southern Wisconsin
  • West Nile Virus in avian species in Colombia.
  • Factors affecting feline respiratory disease complex in an open admission shelter
  • The effects of sex hormones on ventilatory control in aging rats
  • Characterization of liver auto-antibodies in dogs with chronic hepatitis
  • An immunohistochemical and clinical examination of 37 cases of feline nasal lymphoma
  • Immobilization of two-toed and three-toed sloths using dexmedetomidine in Upala, Costa Rica.
  • Pharmacokinetics of meloxicam in Hispanolian parrots.