BHAVI 2014 Program
High school, college and graduate students may apply for educational stipends to participate in the Summer 2014 Research Program at Brain Health Alliance. Students may choose a research topic related to at least one of the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with potential application to the mission of Brain Health Alliance.
One or more of the following fields may be considered: mathematics, statistics, computational science and engineering, biomedical signal and image processing, imaging informatics, biomedical informatics, clinical research informatics, digital graphic arts, software user interface engineering, human machine interface engineering, haptics for virtual reality, robotics for prosthetics, biomimicry for biomimetics, web-enabled database engineering, distributed systems and/or mobile computing.
Research Program
Students may propose their own project and work on that project if approved. Otherwise, students will be given a list of research problems from which to choose their primary project for work pursued as individuals. Students will interact with their project mentors and advisors. Students will also be required to interact with each other and devote some of their time to a secondary project for work pursued as a team. The Summer 2014 Research Program will run from June 2 to August 29.
Students may apply for the funded research program in which they receive an educational stipend from Brain Health Alliance. Student activities in this funded program will be adjusted appropriately by Brain Health Alliance for each student according to their level of education, experience and current computing skills.
Students may also apply for the non-funded research program in which they receive volunteer service and/or academic credits from their school's internship or externship program. Student activities in this volunteer program will be adjusted appropriately by Brain Health Alliance for each student according to their school's requirements for obtaining service or academic credit. In this case, students must designate an appropriate administrative or faculty contact at their school who is responsible for establishing the requirements for the internship or externship program.
Application Process
Prior exposure to brain biology or any of the neurosciences is not a requirement. There will be no wet-lab work. All activities will be computer-based so general familiarity and prior experience with computer software and hardware will be helpful. Because the research program does focus on software and computing, Brain Health Alliance will consider applications from students anywhere who have access to high-speed internet connections and the ability to telecommute and teleconference.
Student applicants should submit a letter expressing their interest, describing their computing skills, and stating whether they are applying for a stipend from Brain Health Alliance in the funded program or for credits from their school in the volunteer program. They should also submit a transcript of their course work as well as request a letter of recommendation from a math, science or engineering teacher who can comment on their problem-solving skills. Electronic copies of submission materials should be emailed to admin@BrainHealthAlliance.net. Additional information may be obtained via the Contact Form.
For the funded research program, applications including letters of reference must be completed by April 23. Students applying for the educational stipends will be contacted to schedule interviews via televideo as soon as their application is complete. Stipend offers will be emailed to selected applicants between April 22 and May 7. Commitments from students to accept the stipend and participate in the summer research program must be returned to Brain Health Alliance within 7 days of receipt of the offer. There are no application processing dates or deadlines for the volunteer research program.
Brain Health Alliance does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, religion, citizenship or country of residence. We welcome applications from students of all ethnicities, creeds, gender identities, and citizenries regardless of where they reside. Educational stipends in the US dollar amounts described below will be provided to students who are enrolled in degree programs at their schools and who participate in the summer research program at Brain Health Alliance.
High School Students
Students who will be entering 10th, 11th or 12th grade in fall of 2014 may apply for 3 month internships at Brain Health Alliance for the summer of 2014. Students should be enrolled at their high schools in STEM courses, and be motivated to work on a STEM research project that could be entered in the Intel Science Talent Search or Intel International Science and Engineering Fair competitions administered by the Society for Science & the Public. Work on research projects during the internship will be mentored by successful alumni of these competitions. Selected applicants will receive $1500 educational stipends for their participation in the summer program.
College Students
Students should be enrolled at their college with a major in one of the STEM fields. Work on research projects during the 3 month summer internship will be mentored by Brain Health Alliance and may be co-mentored by one of the student's college professors. Selected applicants will receive $2500 educational stipends for their participation in the summer program.
Graduate Students
Predoctoral students should be enrolled at their graduate school in a Master's or Doctoral program in one of the STEM fields or else enrolled in a medical school studying medicine with an interest in brain disorders. Work on research projects during the 3 month summer internship will be mentored by Brain Health Alliance and may be co-mentored by one of the student's graduate or medical school professors. Selected applicants will receive $4000 educational stipends for their participation in the summer program.