This summer, UC Irvine was again one of only 10 universities in the U.S. to host a free six-week program to train undergraduate students in the fundamentals of biostatistics, data science and computing. For the second year in a row, the Irvine Summer Institute in Biostatistics and Undergraduate Data Science (ISI-BUDS) brought students to UCI from across the nation and, as part of the training, offered hands-on experience conducting cutting-edge biomedical research.
[…]The ISI-BUDS Program
Of the more than 150 applicants, 15 students were selected for the highly competitive program, which includes up to $500 in travel expenses, free housing, as well as $1,000 for incidental expenses. The Department of Statistics Staff Team — Laura Swendson, Lisa Stieler and Kim Richter — went above and beyond to make sure the students’ stay in Irvine was comfortable and memorable. From July 10–28, 2023, students attended lectures and labs as they learned fundamental concepts from probability theory, data science, statistical modeling and scientific study design.
The 15 ISI-BUDS participants (with one on zoom) on the final day of presentations, showing their UCI spirit with the Anteater Zot! / UCI Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences
During the next three weeks, collaborating closely with research mentors, the students conducted research projects related to:
- improving HIV and nutritional outcomes among women living with HIV in India,
- conducting serum metabolic profiling for early screening of colorectal cancer,
- analyzing Choroid Plexus-based biomarkers and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and
- assessing and comparing research attitudes between Down syndrome caregivers and early Alzheimer’s disease caregivers.
Read the article here.
