Summer Undergraduate Internships Boost Diversity in Ph.D. STEM Program

Nailah Seale and Daril Brown

The University of California-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Initiative brings undergraduate students to University of California campuses for summer research internships in STEM fields. The goal is to interest these students from historically Black colleges and universities to enroll in graduate programs at the University of California.

The University of California, San Diego has formed a partnership with Howard University in Washington, D.C., as part of the program. Last summer, eight Howard students spent eight weeks conducting bioengineering research on the San Diego campus. In addition to their research, the students were mentored by faculty on the graduate school admissions process and took Graduate Record Examination prep classes.

Two of the eight students who participated in the summer internship program will be returning to San Diego this fall as doctoral students. Nailah Seale and Daril Brown will enroll in the Ph.D. program in bioengineering. Seale is interested in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Brown’s focus will be on brain/machine interfaces and bioelectronics.

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