Program at a Glance
The Mississippi INBRE Scholars Program provides nine-week summer research internships for Mississippi undergraduate students. Scholars receive hands-on research experience in a variety of scientific disciplines.
The Scholars Program offers two tracks: Applied Health Scholars and Research Scholars. In both programs, Scholars will spend the summer conducting research with a mentor at The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Hattiesburg campus.
The Mississippi INBRE Scholars Program is an excellent opportunity for undergraduates to gain research experience that enhances their competitiveness for graduate programs, post-baccalaureate education, and their careers.
Applied Health Scholars
Applied Health Scholars conduct research with focuses on:
- Anthropology
- Community-Based Participatory Research
- Data Science
- Exercise Science
- Psychology
- Public Health
Research Scholars
Research Scholars conduct lab-based research with focuses on:
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Data Science
- Polymer Science
Award
$6,500 + Housing and Meals Provided
The Mississippi INBRE Scholars program provides an award of $6500. This award is paid as an hourly rate of $18.06 throughout the working dates of the program. Housing at USM and a meal plan are provided in addition to the $6,500 award.
Benefits
- $6,500 award paid as an hourly rate of $18.06 throughout the working dates of the program
- Housing and meals provided
- Real-world research experience
- Peer and faculty mentoring
- Nine weeks of hands-on training in the research process, methods and analysis
- Professional and personal development support toward graduation, advancement to graduate programs and beyond
Eligibility Requirements
Research Scholars
- Undergraduate Classification
- Current Enrollment at a Qualifying Mississippi Higher Education Institution
- U.S. Citizenship
- Mississippi Residency
- Must be 18 Years of Age or Older
- Completion of Two Science Courses with a Lab Component by Program Start
Applied Health Scholars
- Undergraduate Classification
- Current Enrollment at a Qualifying Mississippi Higher Education Institution
- U.S. Citizenship
- Mississippi Residency
- Must be 18 Years of Age or Older
- Have Earned 30 Credit Hours by Program Start
All Scholars are required to be undergraduate students over the age of 18, Mississippi residents and U.S. citizens. In addition, students should be currently enrolled at a qualifying higher education institution based in Mississippi. See the full list of eligible institutions below.
Students who will have passed two science courses with a lab component or have completed 30 credit hours by the end of the spring semester prior to the start of the program are eligible to apply. Graduate students are not eligible to apply. Seniors are eligible to apply if they are graduating after the program ends. Applications from students who do not fit these requirements will not be considered for funding.
Qualifying Institutions
Applicants should be currently enrolled at one of the following higher education institutions in Mississippi:
- Alcorn State University
- Belhaven University
- Blue Cliff College
- Blue Mountain Christian University
- Coahoma Community College
- Copiah-Lincoln Community College
- Delta State University
- East Central Community College
- East Mississippi Community College
- Hinds Community College
- Holmes Community College
- Itawamba Community College
- Jones College
- Meridian Community College
- Millsaps College
- Mississippi College
- Mississippi Delta Community College
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
- Mississippi University for Women
- Mississippi Valley State University
- Northeast Mississippi Community College
- Northwest Mississippi Community College
- Pearl River Community College
- Rust College
- Southwest Mississippi Community College
- Tougaloo College
- William Carey University
Program Dates
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Application Opens: 9/1/2025
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Application Deadline: 3/1/2026 at 11:59 PM CST
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Orientation: 6/1 – 6/2/2026
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Mississippi IDeA/EPSCoR Conference: 7/23/2026
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Total Program Duration: 6/1 – 7/31/2026
Matching a Mentor
Once accepted into the program, Scholars will browse our mentor database (including potential projects the Scholar may participate in) and choose four mentors conducting research in a field of study which interests them. Mississippi INBRE personnel will assign mentors based on the students’ preferences and interests.
Mississippi INBRE does not guarantee applicants will be assigned their first preferred mentor. Student mentor assignment is based on multiple factors, including student preference, mentor’s current lab space/personnel openings at the time of application, and mentor demand, among other variables.
If a desired mentor is a researcher working at USM but is not listed in the database, applicants are encouraged to contact msinbre@usm.edu.
The Internship Experience
During the nine-week internship, Scholars conduct research under the mentorship of a faculty member at USM. Throughout this time, Scholars regularly attend lectures from experienced research professionals that explore potential post-graduation academic and career options. In addition, Scholars develop an abstract based on the research they have conducted. At the conclusion of the program, students create a research poster based on their abstract to present at the annual Mississippi IDeA/EPSCoR Conference (MIEC), a research conference held on the last day of the internship.
Application Process
To apply for one or both of the Scholars programs, complete and submit the application below prior to application close and attach your unofficial transcript(s), resume/CV, and a personal narrative. Please be sure to enter the required information correctly as this will be crucial in notifying students of their award status.
Following application close, Mississippi INBRE staff will begin scheduling interviews with prospective Scholars to learn more about the student’s potential fit within the program and gather additional information that may be useful in the selection process.
The following items are required as part of the application process. Please be sure to follow the file naming scheme below:
- Unofficial Transcripts (file name: Lastname_Transcript)
- Resume/CV (file name: Lastname_Resume)
- Personal Narrative (file name: Lastname_PersonalNarrative)
The personal narrative should include information about the student applicant, student’s academic and career goals, how participating in the Scholars program will support the student’s career goals, student’s past research experience, and any additional information that would be useful during the selection process. The personal narrative should be no more than 1 ½ pages. For more information about the narrative, please email msinbre@usm.edu.
Please note that Mississippi INBRE uses email as the primary form of communication for application confirmation as well as notification of award status. All Mississippi INBRE staff are affiliated with The University of Southern Mississippi, and therefore will communicate via email from a usm.edu email address. Please make sure that our email communication is not being flagged to your junk mail folders.
Frequently Asked Questions
This award is subject to income tax regulations. You will receive a W2 tax form early the following year for reporting purposes.
The funds to attend required meetings are part of your internship award. Mississippi INBRE will not be of further financial assistance for attendance of these meetings. Usually $250 to $300 is a sufficient amount to set aside to attend required meetings, but may vary depending on your particular travel and lodging arrangements.
Although very rare, occasionally a student and their mentor have personality conflicts that make a productive relationship difficult. Even if this should happen to you, you should respectfully talk to your mentor to try to solve the problem. In nearly every case, the problem is a lack of communication. This is also an opportunity to develop your interpersonal skills, thus we encourage students to stick out the summer unless there are extreme circumstances. Feel free to contact the Mississippi INBRE staff if you need any assistance.
In many research labs, mentors utilize their graduate students to train new students (both undergraduate and graduate) in research. Working with a graduate student should in no way impede your project and is a very common practice.
The personal narrative should include information about the student applying, academic and career goals, how participating in the Scholars Program will help the student’s career goals, past research experience, and any other information that would be useful during the selection process. The narrative should be no more than 1 ½ pages. For more information about the narrative, please email Jordan.Laster@usm.edu.
Once you click submit on the application, your confirmation will be shown at the top of the webpage. If your application lacks a key element, you will be informed and asked to submit the missing items by the deadline. Please note: email is the primary form of communication from our office. Please be sure to enter you email information correctly on your application.
Applications will be reviewed at the beginning of March, and notifications will be sent out in late March. All applicants, regardless of award status, will be notified via email.