Released April 21, 2008

WOOSTER, Ohio —- The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster is offering summer research internships to area high-school juniors and seniors and undergraduate students interested in exploring careers in scientific fields.

The research arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, OARDC (http://oardc.osu.edu) is the largest and most comprehensive facility of its kind in the United States. OARDC researchers are national and international experts in a wide variety of disciplines.

The OARDC Research Internships Program (ORIP) is tailored specifically to enhance the interest of local students — no residence facilities are available at this time — in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The internships will teach critical thinking skills through rigorous laboratory and field research experience, seminars, group discussion sessions, and symposia.

The program will increase student performance in school/college as well as competitiveness for scholarships, awards and admissions to graduate schools, said Parwinder Grewal, OARDC entomology professor and ORIP director.

The internships will run for 10 weeks between June 9 and Aug. 15, 2008. The selected scholars will be required to work for a minimum of 30 hours per week, but daily hours will be flexible. A stipend of $2,000-$3,200 will be provided for the entire 10-week period depending upon the students’ grade level and experience. Each research scholar will be mentored by an individual faculty member, a faculty member and post-doctoral fellow team, or a faculty member and a graduate student team.

All students who successfully complete the program will receive certificates, and one or more scholars will also receive the Best Team Research Award. To apply, interested students need to complete the application available at http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/orip/secondary.asp?id=222 (click on the OARDC RESEARCH INTERNSHIP APPLICATION link near the bottom of the page). Applicants must clearly describe the reasons for seeking the internship and their short-term and long-term goals.

The application must be submitted via email to grewal.4@osu.edu by April 30, 2008.

For more information about the internship program, contact Grewal at (330) 263-3963 or grewal.4@osu.edu.

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http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~news/story.php?id=4584

Contacts: Mauricio Espinoza, (330) 202-3550, espinoza.15@osu.edu

Parwinder Grewal, (330) 263-3963, grewal.4@osu.edu