Category Archives: Research

Postings looking for Honors College researchers

Neuroscience Laboratory Research Opportunity

by Reese Michaelson

The Sato Neuroscience Lab at MUSC is looking for students to join their lab and potentially conduct their Bachelor’s research with them!

The Opportunity: Students will use two-photon imaging, optogenetic tools, and electrophysiology to unravel the fundamental principles that govern information processing in the brainstem and investigate how neurological diseases such as strokes and Alzheimer’s affect neural circuits and behavior.

Benefits: Students can expect to learn how to mount brain slices on slides, cut perfused brains, and potentially even perform surgery. Additionally, students will…

  • Gain experience with manual dexterity and working in a lab environment
  • Improve their general neuroscience knowledge
  • Have opportunities to work on their Bachelor’s Essay, give conference presentations, and even co-author papers!

Great Fit For: Juniors and sophomores studying biology and/or neuroscience.

To Apply: Email Ashley Matunis (ashley.matunis@gmail.com) with your resume/CV.

Laboratory Research Opportunity to Study Pancreatic Cancer

by Reese Michaelson

Interested in working on laboratory research? MUSC is looking for eager students to gain valuable experience participating in a lab environment and developing independent research projects!

The opportunity: Students will take part in laboratory research to better understand the fundamental biology of pancreatic cancer, with the goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets. This research utilizes transgenic mouse models and cell lines, analyzed with state-of-the-art cellular and molecular techniques.

Benefits:

  • Learn important modern techniques in cellular and molecular biology
  • Perform independent research
  • Develop bachelor’s thesis projects

Great fit for: Freshmen or sophomores in biology or chemistry-related majors.

How to apply: Email your CV to Dr. Lu Han (hanl@musc.edu).

Click here or contact Dr. Han for additional information.

Student Research Opportunity: Pancreatic cancer research at MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center

by plasmatinc

The Ostrowski Lab at MUSC’s Hollings Cancer is looking for student researchers to join their team.

The Research Project: The lab is studying pancreatic cancer and its intricate interactions within the tumor microenvironment. Their research is focused on understanding the role of the tumor microenvironment in disease progression.

The Benefits:

  • Gain hands-on experience in essential research techniques like mice colony management, cell culture techniques, western blotting and qRT-PCR.
  • Contribute to ongoing cancer research efforts.
  • engage with professionals at a leading research institution.

How to Apply: Contact Dr. Samaneh Saberi, Postdoctoral Fellow, for more details and instructions on how to apply: (saberi@musc.edu).

CofC Students can join the Council on Undergraduate Research for Free!

by plasmatinc

Looking for research opportunities in any discipline? Want additional support for an ongoing research project? CofC students can register for a free membership with the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR).

What’s the CUR? A national organization of members representing over 900 colleges and universities dedicated to supporting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry.

Membership Benefits: Access to a national network of faculty, students and staff who are committed to undergraduate research opportunities.

Activate your Membership: Learn more on the College’s URCA website, and then activate your free account.

Neuroscience research opportunity at MUSC focused on Huntington’s Disease

by plasmatinc

Join an innovative study that is looking at potential therapies for individuals afflicted with Huntington’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.

The Opportunity: Student researchers will support a project that includes sectioning and immunohistochemical analysis of brains of experimental and control animals.

Benefits:

  • Innovative animal research looking at potential therapies for disease states
  • Develop skills related to brain sectioning, staining, and microscopic analysis
  • Potential for eventual research publication and/or presentations

Great Fit For: Biology / Neuroscience / Pre-Med

  • Previous experience working with animal tissue is a plus but is not required.

How to Apply: Statement of interest + resume emailed to Dr. Heather A. Boger (boger@musc.edu).

On-Campus Research Assistantship on Ethics and Artificial Intelligence

by plasmatinc

Everyone’s talking about AI, and you can contribute to groundbreaking research on where it’s headed.

The Opportunity: The research projects are on the intersection of Ethics and AI. The goal of the project is to evaluate whether an AI software fulfills the ethical requirements.

The Benefits:

  • This opportunity has the potential to be paid
  • Bachelors essay and/or Honors Immersed potential

Great Fit For: CSCI / DATA / MATH / Stats

  • Students who are from underrepresented communities in STEM are preferred.

Next Steps: Interested students should email Professor Ghosh (ghoshk@cofc.edu) by September 10, 2023.

Research Volunteer Opportunity with the Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at MUSC

by plasmatinc

The Bipolar Disorder Research Program (BDRP) at MUSC is recruiting research volunteers looking to to gain experience working in a psychiatry and behavioral sciences lab.

The Opportunity: Our lab studies bipolar disorder, substance use disorder, and its inter-connectivity with an emphasis on exploring putative overlapping neurobiological mechanisms using multimodal neuroimaging techniques.

  • The volunteer would gain experience in data entry, participant recruitment, general lab support, etc. and can expect to spend about 10 hours per week in the lab. Ideally, the volunteer would commit for an academic year.

Benefits:

  • Potential for honors immersed credit
  • A well-rounded research training experience working on NIH-funded studies
  • Potential for a letter of recommendation

Great Fit For: Psychology students

Application Details: Email an updated CV and a short bio to (Honors alum!) Kaiya Brand (brandka@musc.edu)

Paid Research Opportunity in Translational Spine Research at CofC/MUSC for the 23/24 Year

by plasmatinc

Dr. Sarah Porto from the School of Health Sciences is looking for students interested in gaining laboratory experience as a research assistant.

The Opportunity: Students will gain experience with biomechanics research techniques, including tensile testing, biochemical analysis, as well as cell and molecular biology techniques, such as immunohistochemistry, histology, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Students will analyze experimental results using appropriate software and also help prepare experimental results for presentation and publication.

  • Research assistants will be expected to commit at least 4 hours per week during the academic year and at least 20 hours per week in the summer.

Benefits:

  • A salaried position funded by NIH ($11/hr)
  • MUSC and Clemson networking opportunities
  • Honors Immersed and Bachelor’s Essay potential
  • Training from the PI will be provided if these techniques are new to the applicant

How to Apply: Contact Dr. Porto with any questions; to apply, read below for the full application instructions and submit all application materials to Dr. Porto (portosc@cofc.edu).

If you are interested, please send questions and the following materials to Dr. Porto (portosc@cofc.edu):

  • Updated Resume (or CV) that includes extracurricular activities and employment plans (for academic year and summer)
  • Year of Study, Major, Academic Achievements
  • Unofficial Transcript
  • Statement of Interest (500 words) that includes:
    • 1) Previous research experience, if applicable
    • 2) What can you offer to the project and how long would you like to work on this project?
    • 3) What would you like to get out of this experience?
    • 4) Why are you interested in participating in this (or any) research?
    • 5) Please describe your specific time management strategies.
    • 6) Any other relevant information that you would like to share.