Shah Engaged Research Summer Internship at the Netter Center

Final submission due Sunday, February 28, 2021.  Students will be notified by early April 2020.

The Shah Engaged Research Summer Internship at the Netter Center will provide support to approximately four students (undergraduate or graduate) per summer to pursue research projects that contribute to civic and community engagement.  

Students' research should focus on helping to solve universal problems such as poverty, health inequities, environmental sustainability, and inadequate, unequal education as they are manifested in West Philadelphia and/or Philadelphia. Students will have the opportunity to connect to the Netter Center's regional, national, and global networks to share their research as well as learn from others.

Students must have support from a faculty member who will serve as an advisor. The Netter Center Director will also serve as an advisor. A faculty committee will review applications and make nominations to the Director who will make the final selection of the interns.

There will be two meetings during the summer for all of the interns, their advisors, the Director of the Netter Center, and other Netter Center staff as appropriate.

Undergraduate interns must be available to work on their research project full-time for ten weeks during the summer, starting June 1, 2020. Interns will receive a stipend of $4,500.  Graduate interns will receive a stipend in accordance with their professional school (e.g., six to eight weeks for $3,000).

Applications are now open HERE. Please submit:

• A brief research proposal (2-3 pages) focusing on helping to solve universal problems (such as poverty, health inequities, environmental sustainability, and inadequate, unequal education) as they are manifested in West Philadelphia and/or Philadelphia.  
• Recommended guidelines for proposal format:
  • Abstract (250 words or less)
  • Project Proposal including:
    • Background information
      • What is the problem your project is addressing? What are the current conditions? How will or have community members and/or other stakeholders been engaged in the development of this proposal?
      • What are the desired future conditions? How will you evaluate/measure if you have met your goals?
      • What, if any, are existing programs that address this issue?
    • Steps taken to develop the project or program
    • Specific key players and community partners and their roles
• Unofficial transcript(s)
• A letter of recommendation from the faculty member with whom you will be working. The letter should be emailed directly to abcscoordinator@sas.upenn.edu.

We would be pleased to provide feedback at any point in the process. Students are encouraged to send drafts of their proposal to abcscoordinator@sas.upenn.edu.