Research

Under the leadership of Dr. Sean Ward, the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine has established an International Undergraduate Research Program (IURP) with Universities in Britain and Ireland. The objectives of this program are:

1. to provide an opportunity for exceptional students in the Medical and Biomedical fields to work in research laboratories in a variety of medical fields in a stimulating environment;
2. promote understanding and good will and strengthen cultural ties between the University of Nevada, Reno and Universities in Britain and Ireland; and
3. to broaden student experiences at an international level.

The International Undergraduate Research Program has been in existence since 1991. Biomedical Science degree students from The University of Ulster and Physiology students from The Queen's University, Belfast have been placed for one year in a research environment within the Departments of Physiology & Cell Biology and Pharmacology at the School of Medicine. To date over 100 such students have participated in this program and have performed research in a variety of areas including cardiovascular and gastrointestinal research using a variety of scientific techniques.

Individuals that participate in the International Student Program can learn a variety of state of the art physiological, pharmacological, molecular, morphological and biochemical techniques ranging from intracellular and patch clamp recording techniques, intracellular calcium measurements, high speed video imaging techniques, HPLC with electrochemical detection, Northern, Southern and Western blot analysis, Construct designing, microinjection of embryonic stem cells, culturing techniques, Real Time RT-PCR, expression systems, siRNA gene suppression, transgenic technology, immunohistochemistry, and confocal and electron microscopy. While at the University of Nevada, students are often given the opportunity to present their scientific findings locally and at either National/International Conferences and to the faculty within the School of Medicine. Several students have been able to include their work in scientific publications in excellent journals.

The School of Medicine provides an excellent training environment. There are warm relations between the faculty, students and staff. Visitors on sabbatical leave, students, and post-doctoral fellows are able to move easily between labs, learning and applying techniques of interest. We routinely have a diverse group of investigators representing cultures from at least 4 continents. We value the trans-cultural mix in the Departments of Physiology & Cell Biology and Pharmacology and the mix of talents and creativity that emerge as minds with diverse experiences work together.

Students that have successfully completed the year-long program are strongly encouraged to continue their training in scientific careers. This has been a frequent outcome with our students and many past exchange students now hold Ph.D. degrees from some of the best Universities in the world. Students who are interested in continuing their training with graduate degrees are instructed in how and where to apply to increase the likelihood of being accepted into these programs.