Engineering Equitable Innovations Summer Undergraduate Research Program

About

About the Program

The Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research Center (CIRC) has recently established the Engineering eQUITable Innovations Summer Undergraduate Research Program (EQUITI-SURP) to provide training on the contributors to and consequences of cardiovascular health disparities as well as a hands-on, mentored summer research experience. With funding from the American Heart Association and the Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, this program is designed to serve as a vehicle for your professional development and stimulate your interest in graduate school and pursuit of a career in cardiovascular science and engineering.

EQUITI-SURP is a 10-week summer training program with three goals: to build general research skills; to provide an individualized, hands-on, mentored research experience; and to educate regarding structural racism and discrimination, social determinants of health, and the ways in which these societal factors affect to cardiovascular health.

Application Process

Deadline
Application deadline: February 28, 2025

Eligibility
Each student-participant must:

be enrolled and in good standing at an accredited, degree-granting undergraduate institution
have a GPA of 3.0 or higher

Procedures

Applications will be reviewed and selections made by the EQUITI-SURP faculty Drs. Naomi Chesler, CIRC leadership, and faculty mentors. Completed applications are due on February 17, 2025 with all selections made and summer student commitments completed by March 24. Complete and submit the EQUITI SURP Application.

In addition to completing the online application, please email the following to cardio@uci.edu:

Personal Statement addressing the following points:

How did you become interested in your field of study?
What are your educational and career goals?
What experiences have contributed toward your preparation for your educational and career goals?
What are your research interests and potential motivations to go to graduate school?
Why are you applying to the EQUITI-SURP?

CV/Resume

Two (2) Letters of Recommendation from a counselor, faculty member, research mentor, or principal investigator.

Writers should send their letters directly to cardio@uci.edu with the students’ first/last name – LOR, in the subject line.

The letter should address the following questions:

What is your relationship to the applicant? Please include information on how long you have known the applicant and the extent of your interactions.
What is the applicant’s current research topic? If not actively involved in research, what are the applicant’s interests?
Please comment on the applicant’s academic merit and motivation including his/her aptitude for pursuing a Ph.D.
In your opinion, why and how would the applicant benefit from participating in EQUITI-SURP?
What is it about the applicant that leads you to recommend him/her for EQUITI-SURP?

A copy of current Academic Transcripts (unofficial are OK)

Note: A second summer of participation is strongly encouraged to deepen the participant’s research experience in a particular lab, with the aim of becoming a co-author on a publication and increasing their competitiveness for graduate admissions.

EQUITI SURP Application

Faculty

All core CIRC faculty that have committed to providing mentored research experiences for the EQUITI-SURP. Please review the center leadership and core faculty listings below to learn more about their research areas as you prepare your application. In addition to the faculty highlighted below, many additional faculty members are happy to serve as summer research mentors. If you are accepted into the program, the program directors will contact you individually to discuss your specific research interests and goals in order to match you with the best mentor for your interests.

Elliot Botvinick, Ph.D.

Associate Director
Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Department of Surgery

Lab Website

Zhongping Chen, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering

Lab Website

Naomi Chesler, Ph.D.

Chancellor's Inclusive Excellence and
Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and
Director, UCI Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research Center (CIRC)

Lab Website

Timothy Downing, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering

Lab Website

Anna Grosberg, Ph.D.

Core Lab Faculty Director
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering

Lab Website

Christopher CW Hughes, Ph.D.

Chancellor's Professor
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Department of Biomedical Engineering

Lab Website

Wendy Liu, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering

Lab Website

Pim Oomen, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering

Lab Website

Frequently Asked Questions

How many students are accepted every year?
Five students will be accepted each year.

How do I select a project to work on?
Please review the center leadership and core Faculty tab to learn more about the faculty and projects you might be interested in.
In addition, many faculty members outside this list have expressed interest in mentoring summer students. Please look at websites of affiliate CIRC faculty and communicate potential mentor names/projects on your application.

Will I be guaranteed to work with the faculty member I select?
If the project or faculty mentor you select is not available, you will be assigned to a faculty mentor in a similar area. We will work closely with you in the months before summer to match you with a mentor relevant to your interests and goals. Please note, affiliate mentorship cannot be guaranteed.

What are some of the benefits of participating?
Benefits include:
A ten-week faculty mentored summer research experience at UC Irvine
Preferential enrollment in the EQUITI-SURP for a second year
Tours of local cardiovascular medical device companies
$6000 stipend plus housing

Where is UC Irvine?
UC Irvine is located in Southern California in the City of Irvine. The campus is located 40 miles south of Los Angeles, and 90 miles north of San Diego.

Where will I live?
All EQUITI-SURP students will live in housing facilities located on the UC Irvine campus.

What are the program dates?
Program dates (tentative) for the summer of 2025 will be June 2nd – August 8th. Because UCI is on the quarter system, the first two weeks of the program will be virtual and the remaining eight will be in person (on site) at UCI.

Can my family visit me during the program?
Guests are permitted to visit given that research and programmatic obligations are met.