The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is now accepting applications for two summer internship programs.
Both programs are paid, eight-week biomedical research internships. Participants earn at least $5,000, plus free housing for those who otherwise would travel at least 40 miles to OMRF.
The Fleming Scholars Program is open to current high school seniors and to current college freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Applicants must be Oklahoma residents as of their high school graduation date to qualify. The program was founded in 1956 and named for Sir Alexander Fleming, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who discovered penicillin and dedicated OMRF’s first building.
Since its inception, more than 600 Oklahoma students have worked as Fleming Scholars alongside world-class OMRF scientists. Former Fleming Scholars include OMRF Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., who recently became the first Oklahoma woman elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Separately, the Langston Biomedical Research Scholars Program is open to students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors next year at Langston University.
OMRF scientist Valerie Lewis, Ph.D., who’s also a former Langston staff member, initiated the program in 2021. Since 2022, the internship program has been funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through a pilot project aimed at diversifying VA’s scientific workforce.
Following their internship, students in both programs often continue to work in OMRF’s labs during the school year.
“These internships offer meaningful, hands-on lab experience on projects aimed at helping people live longer, healthier lives,” said Ashley Cheyney, Ph.D., OMRF’s assistant director of training programs and outreach. “Many of our former interns say their summer at OMRF helped them narrow their career-path decisions.”
The application period for both programs runs until February 2025. For more information or to apply for either program, visit www.omrf.org/SummerScholars.
