We are now recruiting research trainees and near-peer mentors for the Integrative Movement Sciences Summer Institute 2024!

Do you love biology, physics, physiology and biomechanics?
Do you find movement to be fascinating?
Are you looking for research training in state-of-the-art techniques?
Are you excited to tackle an interdisciplinary scientific project with mentor/mentee relationships?

Background:
The IMSI Summer Institute is an  interdisciplinary research and training incubator that involves a network of faculty spanning 21 institutions across the country. Each research team will collaborate on a specific research project aligned with IMSI themes of investigating 1) dynamic muscular control of movement in unsteady and perturbed conditions,  2) bridging across organizational scales through integrated experiments and modeling, 3) bridging between human and comparative studies of movement, and 4) investigating movement in ecologically relevant complex environmental conditions. IMSI participants will be organized in project teams consisting of 2 or more faculty co-supervisors from different fields and institutions, a graduate student or postdoc near-peer mentor, and 1-2 junior trainee researchers (highschool, undergraduate, or postbaccalaureate). Each team will participate in the training curriculum alongside the entire IMSI-Summer Institute cohort. In addition, IMSI includes multiple workshops in inclusive mentoring and team-based science approaches. Projects include evaluating movement, modeling muscle, mathematical descriptions of behavior, comparing mechanics and performance across species, exploring unique datasets of elite human athletes, and more!

Locations: UC Irvine, NAU, USC, GA Tech, CO School of Mines, & other participating labs, with virtual/online components.

Key Dates:

  • Projects can vary between 6-10 weeks duration, with specific dates determined by project supervisors, based on specific project needs and local academic calendars.   
  • Research workshops:  July 1st- July 31st 2024, meeting virtually 2x per week,
  • UCI based projects:  July 1st- August 24th 2024
  • Capstone symposium (all day) Friday September 6th 2024 (tentative date, to be confirmed)

Funding (*subject to NSF eligibility criteria):

Training stipends:  $600/week for the project duration for trainees participating full time in research projects and training curriculum. Part time participation will need to be approved by faculty supervisors, with stipend rate pro-rated according to fraction of full time spent on research.

Mentors:  $500 mentoring fellowship stipend for near-peer mentors who will meet regularly with their mentees and complete an inclusive mentorship certification program (~2-3 hours per week x 4 weeks).  Mentors are typically senior graduate students or postdoctoral scholars who will be matched as mentors to junior trainees. 

Mentor-trainees:  Participate as trainees on a project in a new area outside their current research, and also act as near-peer mentors for junior trainees.  Mentor-trainees will receive both the training stipend and the mentoring fellowship stipend.

Housing and travel:  For those participating in projects away from their home institution, we will reimburse for economy travel and assist with housing costs. Housing support must be requested and approved in advance so we can help identify and book University-approved housing options.

Trainee expectations:  Research trainees will be expected to 1) participate full time in research for the project duration, 2) meet regularly with co-supervisors, mentors and the project team, 3) attend online/virtual IMSI research workshops that will be held regularly between July 1st-31st 2024, and 4) present research findings in a 1-day capstone symposium, to be held in early Autumn (tentatively scheduled for September 6th 2024). If you need part time research arrangements in order to participate,  or if you have a conflict with the capstone symposium date, please contact Dr. Daley to discuss.

To apply to participate, complete this form by April 15th 2024: https://forms.gle/wT98KZjDnS13tVCJ7 

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