Center  for  Environmental  Health  Sciences  (CEHS)  

32  Campus  Drive  280  Skaggs  Building  Missoula,  MT  59812  www.umt.edu/cehs  

Summer Undergraduate Research Program

-SURP- at The University of Montana

The  Center  for  Environmental  Health  Sciences  (CEHS)  sponsors  a  summer  educational  research  experience  for  outstanding  college  undergraduates.    The  Summer  Undergraduate  Research  Program  (SURP)  is  part  of  a  national  program  to  attract  and  train  undergraduates  to  research  careers  in  the  environmental  health  sciences.    This  program  is  funded  through  a  grant  obtained  from  the  National  Institute  of  Environmental  Health  Sciences  (NIEHS,  R25ES016247).    The  Center’s  SURP  ten-‐week  summer  program  presents  extraordinary  opportunities  to  learn  from  experts  about  the  philosophy  and  practice  of  conducting  current  biomedical  research.    In  addition,  all  students  gain  extensive  hands-‐on  research  experience  working  in  the  Center’s  state-‐of-‐the-‐art  laboratories.    Guest  seminar  lectures  and  presentations  by  graduate  students,  postdoctoral  fellows  and  staff  provide  SURP  students  with  personal  experiences  in  biomedical  research  to  round  out  the  program.    To  round  out  the  SURP  students’  experience,  at  the  end  of  the  10-‐week  experience,  they  present  their  research  in  a  half-‐day  symposium  at  the  end  of  the  program.  Our  students  have  been  highly  successful  with  a  number  of  manuscripts,  winning  top  honors  at  end-‐of-‐summer  conferences  and  presenting  at  national  meetings.  We  encourage  you  to  view  past  project  descriptions  and  poster  presentations  on  our  website  at  https://education.cehs.health.umt.edu/content/summer-‐undergraduate-‐research-‐program.  

Scan  the  QR  code  with  your  smartphone  to  visit  our  site.  

-‐2015  SURP  Students-‐    

Jessica  Ray  (l)  and  Laura  Fisch  (r)  were  each  co-‐

sponsored  by  the  Society  of  Toxicology  (SOT)  in  2015  and  won  travel  awards  to  attend  the  2016  SOT  Annual  Meeting  in  New  

Orleans!  

NIEHS  Director  Dr.  Linda  S.  Birnbaum,  D.A.B.T.,  A.T.S.  -‐  CEHS  Visit,  2012  

                     Over  the  past  eight  summers  of  the  SURP  program,  undergraduates  have  come  from  universities  around  the  country  including  Stanford  University,  Purdue  University,  University  of  Massachusetts  -‐  Lowell,  Notre  Dame  University,  University  of  Texas  at  Dallas,  Washington  State  University,  Michigan  State  University  and  University  of  Maine.  The  University  of  Montana  is  located  in  beautiful  Missoula,  Montana  and  integrates  an  enriching  educational  experience  with  easy  access  to  outstanding  recreational  activities  including  hiking,  fly  fishing,  and  camping.    Our  students  participate  in  recreational  activities  and  field  trips.    For  more  information  about  Missoula  and  the  surrounding  region,  please  visit  www.destinationmissoula.org.        If  you  have  questions  about  the  program,  e-‐mail  CEHS  at  cehs@mso.umt.edu.      SURP  2016  begins  May  24,  2016  and  runs  through  August  2,  2016.    Enrollment  is  limited.    Applications  must  be  received  by  February  15,  2016.    Applications  received  after  February  15th  will  be  considered  only  if  slots  are  still  available.    Apply  on-‐line  at:  https://education.cehs.health.umt.edu/content/surp-‐application  

-About the Center-

CEHS,  a  unique  biomedical  research  center  in  Montana,  was  formed  in  2000  and  is  a  leading  edge  biomedical  research  center  focused  on  diseases  associated  with  exposures  to  harmful  environmental  and  occupational  agents.        

 The  major  research  focus  for  CEHS  investigators  is  to  determine  the  mechanisms  by  which  environmental  and  occupational  exposures  contribute  to  the  development  of  human  diseases  and  translate  that  knowledge  into  development  of  biomarkers,  therapeutic  interventions  and  improved  public  health  information.      Key  areas  of  research  include  immune  mediated  diseases  (e.g.,  asthma,  fibrosis,  autoimmune  diseases,  increased  host  susceptibility  and  inflammatory  bowel  disease)  and  central  nervous  system  diseases  (aging  related  neurodegeneration  and  neuroinflammation).    New  emerging  areas  of  research  include  environmental  induced  epigenetic  changes  and  nanomedicine/nanotoxicology.  Center  investigators  interact  with  a  network  of  investigators  nationally  and  internationally  to  enhance  basic  and  translational  research.      The  CEHS  supports  three  cores:  Molecular  Histology  and  Fluorescent  Imaging  Core,  Flow  Cytometry  Core,  and  Inhalation  and  Pulmonary  Physiology  Core.  Each  core  is  led  by  experienced  faculty  and  full  time  staff  scientists  who  help  investigators  plan,  execute  and  interpret  experimental  studies.    The  cores  are  highly  integrated  providing  for  a  smooth  workflow  when  more  than  one  core  is  necessary  to  accomplish  complicated  research  protocols.