Application for the 2023 Empower Fellowship is now closed!
Description of the fellowship
The Empower Fellowship provides full-time, immersive summer paid research opportunities to select University of Delaware students with limited laboratory experience. During the 11-week residential program, Research fellows work on unique research projects and hone their laboratory skills. At the culmination of the program, students present the results of their research at a symposium.
In addition to working on novel scientific projects, students practice 21st-century skills including critical thinking, collaboration, and information literacy. Students receive one-on-one mentorship as they read, write, and discuss cutting-edge science. Through this program, Empower Fellows become educated health consumers that can interpret and explain difficult scientific concepts to experts and lay audiences alike.
The Empower Fellowship also provides weekly professional development opportunities for students. Research fellows receive individualized mentorship and coaching as they build and expand their professional network. Simultaneously, students are exposed to a wide diversity of biomedical careers found in a cancer center through a weekly career series. At the end of the fellowship, participants are equipped to pursue numerous STEM professions.
The current stipend is set at $4,500 for eleven weeks of full-time research and free housing is provided. This program is funded in part by a grant from the National Institute of Health (R25 CA259244), philanthropic support from Thomas and Kay Hofmann, and through ongoing institutional commitment from the Fox Chase Cancer Center and the University of Delaware.
Who is eligible to apply?
To apply to the Empower Fellowship, University of Delaware students must:
- Attend the Science Discovery Tour in the years preceding their application,
- Be current UD students in good academic standing,
- Be at least eighteen (18) years of age,
- Pass a mandatory health and drug screening, and background check,
- Have relevant immunizations, including a two-step screening for PPD, COVID and flu vaccinations,
- Agree to complete all homework by assigned due dates, and
- Commit to work full time for 11 consecutive weeks at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
How do I apply?
To apply for the Empower Fellowship, eligible University of Delaware students complete an online application and submit a current college transcript. Applications are then reviewed by a panel of program staff and alumni and qualifying finalists interview with program staff in March.
The application for the 2024 program will open in October 2023.
Please direct all questions to Dr. Amanda Purdy at [email protected].