$1.35M grant helps MUSC to train next generation of STEM leaders

Lowcountry teenagers in underrepresented groups eligible to apply for one of six internships

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Nov. 15, 2021) – Local teenagers who have a passion for science have an opportunity to apply for an internship to work side by side with MUSC researchers and doctors while developing their interests in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career fields.

The Teen Science Ambassador Program is an internship offered by the MUSC Youth Collaborative to young people who are part of groups underrepresented in STEM careers.

We would appreciate the media’s help in our recruitment efforts for the Teen Science Ambassador Program. Interviews with the program director and the program coordinator are available.

From February to April, the six selected teen ambassadors will join weekly meetings at the Medical University of South Carolina in downtown Charleston.

Ambassadors will be provided with dinner, travel assistance and compensation.

They will engage firsthand in topics such as clinical research, developmental neuroscience, addiction science, resume building and professional development during the weekly meetings.

Each ambassador will also prepare and present a research exploration project.

The deadline to apply for the 2022 program is Nov. 30.

To be eligible, ambassadors must be:

• At least 16 years old.
• A tenth or eleventh grade student in Charleston County.
• Interested in learning more about substance research and related careers.
• An individual from at least one of the groups that are underrepresented in STEM: 
  • Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander.
  • American Indian.
  • Black or African American.
  • Hispanic or Latino.
  • An individual with a disability or disabilities.
  • An individual affected by socioeconomic disparities.

The program for Spring 2022 is funded in part thanks to a $1.35 million grant from the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA).

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About MUSC 

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is home to the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state’s only integrated academic health sciences center, with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. MUSC brought in more than$327.6 million in biomedical research funds in fiscal year 2021, continuing to lead the state in obtaining federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safe patient care while training generations of compassionate, competent health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Close to 25,000 care team members provide care for patients at 14 hospitals with approximately 2,500 beds and  five additional hospital locations in development, more than 300 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in the Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate regions of South Carolina. In 2021, for the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $4.4 billion. The more than 25,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care.