Join us for the...
Who: SFSU Undergraduates interested in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Geography, and Public Health
When: Late May to Late July 2022
Where: Online and in-person
Application: https://forms.gle/TNx3DzjEG8pikBdd7
App Deadline: May 7, 2022 11:59PM PST
When: Late May to Late July 2022
Where: Online and in-person
Application: https://forms.gle/TNx3DzjEG8pikBdd7
App Deadline: May 7, 2022 11:59PM PST
Are you curious about research science? Interested in learning computer programming? Looking to develop and apply your coding skills? Check out the 2022 PINC Summer Program (PSP)!
In the PSP, students work in small teams to learn new coding skills, and then apply those skills to a collaborative research project in biology, chemistry, or public health. Along the way, students will be supported to practice science communication. The PSP will culminate in a presentation of research results at the Summer Research Symposium. The PSP grows out from the Summer Programs offered in years past. This year, we will be open to undergraduate students in Public Health, Environmental Science, and Geography along with Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry.
30 students will be placed into one of 6 teams, depending on topic preference and time availability. They will learn R or Python programming, with support from a peer mentor! Then, students will be able to apply their newly gained knowledge on programming into a research topic based on their topic preference and will be supported by the peer mentor and faculty advisor to work on a project. That project will be presented at the Summer Research Symposium on Saturday, July 30, 2022!!! If that sounds interesting to you, apply here by May 7, 2022 11:59PM PST: https://forms.gle/TNx3DzjEG8pikBdd7
Students who applied will be notified by mid-May about their position in the program. If you are not selected to participate in PSP 2022, you will be offered a spot in the Science Coding Immersion Program - a parallel summer program offered by Dr. Pleuni Pennings and the Code Lab!
In the PSP, students work in small teams to learn new coding skills, and then apply those skills to a collaborative research project in biology, chemistry, or public health. Along the way, students will be supported to practice science communication. The PSP will culminate in a presentation of research results at the Summer Research Symposium. The PSP grows out from the Summer Programs offered in years past. This year, we will be open to undergraduate students in Public Health, Environmental Science, and Geography along with Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry.
30 students will be placed into one of 6 teams, depending on topic preference and time availability. They will learn R or Python programming, with support from a peer mentor! Then, students will be able to apply their newly gained knowledge on programming into a research topic based on their topic preference and will be supported by the peer mentor and faculty advisor to work on a project. That project will be presented at the Summer Research Symposium on Saturday, July 30, 2022!!! If that sounds interesting to you, apply here by May 7, 2022 11:59PM PST: https://forms.gle/TNx3DzjEG8pikBdd7
Students who applied will be notified by mid-May about their position in the program. If you are not selected to participate in PSP 2022, you will be offered a spot in the Science Coding Immersion Program - a parallel summer program offered by Dr. Pleuni Pennings and the Code Lab!
PSP 2022 Topics

The rapid growth and expansion of human population, and the concomitant increase in human-generated noise, is causing changes to ecosystems with ecological and evolutionary consequences. Environmental acoustics has become an important tool for monitoring and performing rapid assessments of species that produce sounds. We will analyze recordings of the acoustic environment from different sites around the San Francisco Bay Area that vary in the amount of human-generated noise. We will determine the extent to which human-generated noise influences the vocal activity of particular species, and we will evaluate whether there are differences in the composition of vocal species in these different sites.

Students will be introduced to R programming and using
R to analyze data on ecological and conservation biology topics.
R to analyze data on ecological and conservation biology topics.

Students will be exposed to make use of existing datasets to ask questions on ecology, evolution and biology of animals and plants. In particular, students will use large datasets from different platforms (e.g., eBird, iNaturalist, or museum data) and access species lists with locations and date when recorded, to develop a work-flow that will allow them to explore open-ended questions. From exploring migration patterns in birds and butterflies, flowering times and plant phenology, and creating species map and report differences in abundance in different ecosystems, this module will provide the tools in R to cover these and other projects!

This summer you will learn to program in Python to analyze bond formation and breaking in battery materials. The Adelstein Materials Research group studies Li-ion diffusion in the next generation battery technology - solid state electrolytes. The bonds that Li-ions make with their host lattice in the solid affect diffusivity. Diffusivity determines how fast a battery can be charged. Imagine your phone reaching full charge in 2 minutes! Members of the PINC summer program team will study the bonds that Li-ions make during Li-ion diffusion events, extracted from simulations of Li-ions at various temperatures, crystal structures, and chemistries of the host lattice. They will learn data analysis skills, data visualization, computational chemistry, and materials science.

We'll be learning how to use R, which is a statistical software used in Public Health! In RStudio, we will be analyzing data and creating plots related to an epidemiological public health issue.

We will provide students with theoretical background in cancer genomics and working with public databases, with a focus on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Students will be provided training in methods for analyzing epigenetic and transcriptomic data for the purpose of connecting tumor gene expression to clinical traits. We will walk the student through the analysis of TCGA datasets. Finally, students will be trained in visualizing and reporting their data.
PSP 2021 Info VideoThis video will have a brief introduction about the PINC Summer Program from 2021, presented by Dr. Rori Rohlfs! In addition, Elissa Vazquez and Chisom Obiorah - students from the 2020 cohort - will give their insight about what the program is like and the benefits of joining PSP.
Interviewed by: Rochelle-Jan Reyes
Video created by: Olivia Pham |
PSP 2021 Recruitment from Pleuni Pennings on Vimeo. |
Testimonials from PSP 2020 Students
Please click on the picture to read more about each testimonial!
FAQs
Who is eligible for the PSP?
All SFSU undergraduate students that are interested in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, geography, environmental science, and public health are welcome to apply for the 2022 PINC Summer Program. There are no course requirements nor do you have to be declared with a major to take part in the program.
Do I need programming and/or research experience to join the PSP?
No, you don't need any prior programming or research experience to join the program. In fact, the PSP is designed for folks who have no experience, but are interested in programming and research.
What's the time commitment?
Participants will meet in their teams for 10 hours/week. A couple different options available for the specific schedules, but all sessions will be between Monday-Friday.
When will the program happen?
PSP is a nine-week program, running over June and July. The program will culminate in a research presentation and celebration on the last Saturday (your friends, family, and supporters are invited to learn about your work!) at the Summer Research Symposium. You can still participate if you unavailable for a small portion of the program, just note that on your application.
Where will the program take place?
The program will take place both in-person and online, dependent on the team you are placed in and your choice of location!
What happens once the PSP is over?
Near the end of the program, we will hold an event to connect interested students with labs that need quantitative/computationally skilled researchers.
How much does the PSP cost for participants?
The PSP is free!
Is there a stipend for participants?
Unfortunately, no stipends are available for 2021 PINC Summer Program participants.
Is there a citizenship requirement?
There is no citizenship requirement to participate in the program. Undocumented students are welcome!
How do I apply?
Application: https://forms.gle/TNx3DzjEG8pikBdd7
App Deadline: May 7, 2022 11:59PM PST
All SFSU undergraduate students that are interested in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, geography, environmental science, and public health are welcome to apply for the 2022 PINC Summer Program. There are no course requirements nor do you have to be declared with a major to take part in the program.
Do I need programming and/or research experience to join the PSP?
No, you don't need any prior programming or research experience to join the program. In fact, the PSP is designed for folks who have no experience, but are interested in programming and research.
What's the time commitment?
Participants will meet in their teams for 10 hours/week. A couple different options available for the specific schedules, but all sessions will be between Monday-Friday.
When will the program happen?
PSP is a nine-week program, running over June and July. The program will culminate in a research presentation and celebration on the last Saturday (your friends, family, and supporters are invited to learn about your work!) at the Summer Research Symposium. You can still participate if you unavailable for a small portion of the program, just note that on your application.
Where will the program take place?
The program will take place both in-person and online, dependent on the team you are placed in and your choice of location!
What happens once the PSP is over?
Near the end of the program, we will hold an event to connect interested students with labs that need quantitative/computationally skilled researchers.
How much does the PSP cost for participants?
The PSP is free!
Is there a stipend for participants?
Unfortunately, no stipends are available for 2021 PINC Summer Program participants.
Is there a citizenship requirement?
There is no citizenship requirement to participate in the program. Undocumented students are welcome!
How do I apply?
Application: https://forms.gle/TNx3DzjEG8pikBdd7
App Deadline: May 7, 2022 11:59PM PST
2022 Personnel
Program Organizers: Gretchen LeBuhn, Nicole Salazar Velmeshev, and Rochelle-Jan Reyes
Faculty team leaders: Nicole Adelstein (Chemistry & Biochemistry), Gretchen LeBuhn (Ecology & Conservation Biology), Jaime Chaves (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology), Nicole Salazar Velmeshev (Cell & Molecular Biology), Alejandro Velez Melendez (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology), and Rochelle-Jan Reyes (Public Health & Epidemiology)
Near-peer mentor advisor: Torey Jacques
Near-peer mentors: TBD
Faculty team leaders: Nicole Adelstein (Chemistry & Biochemistry), Gretchen LeBuhn (Ecology & Conservation Biology), Jaime Chaves (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology), Nicole Salazar Velmeshev (Cell & Molecular Biology), Alejandro Velez Melendez (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology), and Rochelle-Jan Reyes (Public Health & Epidemiology)
Near-peer mentor advisor: Torey Jacques
Near-peer mentors: TBD