Undergraduate & Post-Baccalaureate Training & Education Opportunities
CRTEC’s training and education initiatives for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students are designed to engage scientific curiosity in the next generation of scientists, provide opportunities for students to explore cancer-related research as a future career, and fuel the biomedical research pipeline by supporting students in gaining research experience and skills needed to enhance their ability to be accepted to graduate school.
CRTEC strives to fuel the cancer-research pipeline by providing targeted programming to introduce students to cancer research-related careers and give them the opportunity to develop experience and skills at conducting cancer research. Whether it be a summer research experience through CREU (Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates or a year-round research experience through U-TRAC (Undergraduate Training and Research Achievement in Cancer), undergraduate students in Colorado and across the nation can experience research as they prepare to enter into the cancer research pipeline.
Another CRTEC approach to strengthening the pipeline is to support students who are historically under-represented in the biomedical sciences field on their journey to becoming accepted into graduate school to conduct scientific research through our R25-funded PIKE-PREP (Preparation in Interdisciplinary Knowledge to Excel) and ACS funded ASCENT (Advancement of Scholars in Cancer Education aNd Training) programs.
CREU: Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates
Every summer, over 40 college undergraduate students are invited to spend ten weeks conducting mentored research in a cancer research laboratory at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The goal of the University of Colorado Cancer Center's Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU) is to engage scientific curiosity in the next generation of scientists and provide an opportunity for college undergraduates to consider a future career in cancer-related research.
Directors: Mary Reyland, PhD, and John Tentler, PhD
DICR: Diversity in Cancer Research Internship
What is the University of Colorado American Cancer Society - Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR)?
The DICR Internship Program provides training and educational opportunities to encourage the pursuit of biomedical careers. The DICR Internship aims to improve diversity and inclusion in the cancer workforce by increasing the number of students from underrepresented populations, as defined by the NIH, trained as cancer researchers. DICR Interns form a cohort with students participating in the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus’ Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU) program.
For ten weeks, undergraduate DICR Interns and CREU Fellows engage in hands-on laboratory research, while receiving mentoring from accomplished investigators in cancer research labs at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In addition to the ACS-sponsored activities (e.g., lunch and/or a social activity), DICR Interns and CREU Fellows participate in twice-weekly lectures, clinical translational workshops, career roundtable sessions, social networking events. They also write a project proposal and present a final poster at the poster session.
When you apply to be a DICR Intern, you will select four mentors you would like to work with during your internship on your application. You can find the list of mentors on the CREU program page. We make every effort to assign you to your first choice, but we may need to make alternative assignments based on mentor availability.
Eligibility
- Be rising college sophomores, juniors, or seniors at an undergraduate institution who are part of an underrepresented population, as defined by the NIH.
- Be able to devote 40 hours per week to this program.
- Be a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, or a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient.
* College Freshmen cannot apply to the DICR program but can apply to the CREU program.
Important Dates
November 1, 2024 – February 3, 2025: Program application open
February 3, 2025: Final application deadline (11:59 pm MT)
May 27 – August 1, 2025: CREU/DICR Program
Apply Now
Directors: Traci Lyons, PhD, and John Tentler, PhD
Questions? Contact us for more information:
Claire McGraw, Program Coordinator
PIKE-PREP: Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program
Preparation in Interdisciplinary Knowledge to Excel
The mission of the University of Colorado (CU) Anschutz Medical Campus PIKE-PREP program is to offer a year-long multi-dimensional mentoring and research training experience to prepare underrepresented post-baccalaureate students to enroll and succeed in a top-tier PhD or MD-PhD program and commit to a career in biomedical research.
To achieve this mission, PIKE-PREP program participants will:
- Conduct research with mentor support to strengthen their research and technical skills.
- Improve their competitiveness for PhD program admission through guidance and training on the graduate school application process.
- Participate in high-quality professional and career development activities individually designed to complement each PREP scholar’s needs and goals.
- Engage in continuous and dynamic mentoring and community-building research-centered experiences designed to enhance the scholar’s network and integration in the social, research, and academic environments.
Directors: Eduardo Davila, PhD, and Carlos Catalano, PharmD, PhD
ASCENT: Advancement of Scholars in Cancer Education aNd Training
The mission of the University of Colorado (CU) Anschutz Medical Campus ASCENT program is to offer a two-year multi-dimensional mentoring and research training experience to inspire underrepresented post-baccalaureate students to enroll and succeed in a top-tier PhD or MD-PhD program and commit to a cancer research career.
To achieve this mission, ASCENT program participants will:
- Conduct cancer-focused research with mentor support to strengthen their research and technical skills.
- Improve their competitiveness for cancer-focused doctoral program admission through guidance and training on the graduate school application process.
- Participate in high-quality professional and career development activities individually designed to complement each ASCENT scholar’s needs and goals.
- Engage in continuous and dynamic mentoring and community-building research-centered experiences designed to enhance the scholar’s network and integration in the social, research, and academic environments.
Director: Eduardo Davila, PhD
For more information, go to the ASCENT website or reach out to ASCENT@CUAnschutz.edu.