High school student, Eliza Childs (l), and undergraduate Kavita Balkaran (r) enjoy the boat ride to their research site near Hadley Point.

The Program

The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) High School Research Fellowship program is a hands-on and mentored laboratory experience for Maine high school students interested in biology, medicine, or research. MDIBL's summer scientific community is world renowned for research in cellular, molecular, marine, and comparative physiology, marine genomics, bioinformatics, and environmental health sciences. Laboratory Principal Investigators come from prestigious universities and medical schools throughout the world. The stimulating intellectual environment of MDIBL is matched by a strong sense of community. Many young scholars who have worked at the Laboratory speak of their experience in their later years as one of the most important on their path to a career in science.

Up to 12 six- to eight-week research fellowships are available, in both residential and day programs, matching selected high school students with an MDIBL scientist. The goal of this program is to provide for high school students a laboratory experience in which they can play an active role in real biological research. Early in the fellowship, the students meet with their mentors to plan their project. For the remainder of the fellowship, students are fully engaged in their research project —conducting experiments, collecting data, analyzing results, and keeping their lab notebook and research portfolio. Students meet weekly to discuss their projects and listen to guest speakers. At the end of the fellowship, students prepare written reports and give oral presentations to their peers and mentors.

STEER. Maine high school students specifically interested in the environmental health sciences should consider applying for a high school research fellowship under the MDIBL STEER (Short Term Educational Experience in Research) program. This program is specifically for Maine high school students and emphasizes laboratory research in the environmental health sciences.

Residential program. Students who live beyond commuting distance are awarded on-campus housing and a full meal plan. High school students are housed in the Emery Cottage, along with a residential advisor. Student rooms are double occupancy with males and females housed on separate floors. The Residential Advisor provides evening and weekend support and supervision. Meals are prepared by our cooking staff and are served in the MDIBL Dining Hall.

Requirements

Students must receive a faculty nomination to apply to this program. Nominations forms must be received and approved by MDIBL education staff before a full application can be accepted. The nomination deadline is January 2, 2009 (now extended to January 14, 2009) ; MDIBL education staff will contact all nominated students to initiate a full application.

Students must be US citizens or permanent residents. Students must have completed chemistry, biology, and mathematics and be in grade 10, 11, or 12 at the time of the application. All Maine high school students are eligible. Partial support may be available for students outside the state of Maine based on the availability of funds, mentors, and residential space.

DATES

The program will be held from Monday, June 15 to Friday, August 7, 2009. These dates may change on an individual basis as mentors may vary their arrival and departure dates.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE

1. Students must be nominated to apply to this program. The faculty nomination form is available online. Nomination deadline - January 2, 2009 (now extended to January 14, 2009) .

2. Nominated students will receive by email an application packet.

3. The application form and all required application materials (transcript, teacher recommendation, written responses) must be postmarked on or before the application deadline.

4. Application deadline: February 2, 2009