DISIRE Program

Thank you for your interest in Ohio University’s DISIRE program. The participants for this year’s program have been selected and notified. The application process will open in December 2023 for consideration into next year’s program.

Our Faculty

Program Activities

Overview of the DISIRE Program
June 5 to July 28, 2023

“Diabetes Institute Summer Interprofessional Research Experience (DISIRE)” Summer Undergraduate Program

The DISIRE curriculum will be interdisciplinary-focused consisting of online instruction, weekly seminars, journal club didactics, a group capstone project, and research with a mentor. The online course will be an abridged version of “Diabetes: From Bench-to-Bedside”, an existing, comprehensive course that explores the genetics, physiology, treatment, self-management, and psychosocial care of diabetes.   Our curriculum does not assume an in-depth background in diabetes and the DISIRE curriculum is designed to educate undergraduates without significant prior experience but interest in the field of diabetes research.

An innovative component of the DISIRE program is the group capstone project, a learning-pathway experience designed to encourage participants to think critically, develop problem-solving skills, encourage goal setting, and promote teamwork. The capstone project will address an important issue or problem about diabetes on their college or university campuses. Thus, the capstone project will not only benefit the participants’ communities, but also serves to foster a life-long community engagement of participants, as they will be able to directly observe the benefit of the implementation of scientific knowledge.

The apprentice-based research experience, which will develop research skills and build self-efficacy in the participants, is a critical component of the DISIRE program. Each participant will design a research project with their selected mentor and be involved in all aspects of conducting research from hypothesis generation to dissemination of findings. The final research projects will be presented at a research symposium in conjunction with the other summer undergraduate programs and graduate programs at Ohio University. Project mentors will maintain a long-term mentoring relationship with participants and provide guidance and encouragement to the participants during the application process to graduate school.

Eligibility Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency
• Current full-time enrollment in a U.S. college or university
• Completion of basic course work in chemistry, biology, physics or other relevant coursework
• Persons from groups underrepresented in science, including first-generation college students and those from the Appalachian region are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Sophomores and juniors are especially encouraged to apply, but strong applications from freshmen will be considered.
• Applications from students with limited research opportunities are highly encouraged.

Student Stipend

Each student will receive $4,500 for the summer experience. The stipend will be received by the end of the program. Additionally, students will receive campus food (15 meals a week) and housing for the duration of the program. Students will be housed in campus dormitories and will likely share a room with another DISIRE participant.  Requests for travel funds will be considered on an individual basis.

Application Process

• Use our online form to submit your application using the link below.
• Upload an official or unofficial transcript.
• Upload your resume/Curriculum Vitae
• Request a letter of recommendation on your behalf by including recommender's name in online application portal. 
• Your recommender must submit this letter by March 20, 2023, at 5 p.m. as instructed on the portal.
• If you have any questions, please contact the DISIRE program directly at DISIRE@ohio.edu 
• All applications must be submitted by March 20, 2023, at 5 p.m. EST.

Students who apply to the program are required to submit the following:

1. Transcripts, overall GPA, and science GPA,
2. Statement of purpose for intent to pursue a graduate degree in biological or health sciences program and interest in diabetes,
3. Three letters of recommendation from faculty members, with at least one letter of recommendation from a biological or health science faculty member to attest to the applicant’s ability in the sciences and interest in applying to a graduate program.

Questions? Email Kevin Lee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences

This program is supported by the National Institutes of Health under grant award number 1R25DK122952-01A1 . Ohio University is grateful to the National Institutes of Health for supporting the work of talented undergraduate students. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health.