Thirty summer interns and special volunteers joined to the NEI in the summer of 2010 to conduct research in different areas of ophthalmology and vision research. These students, from a number of high schools, colleges, and universities around the country, spent eight to twelve weeks working in various labs across the NIH Campus in Bethesda, MD, and the NIH Twinbrook Campus in Rockville, MD.
In addition to their time in the laboratory, students participated in a lunch with NEI Scientific Director Sheldon Miller, Deputy Scientific Director Sarah Sohraby, Dr. Sharon Milgram of the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) , and their mentors to welcome them to the institute and provide an opportunity to discuss career development and the science occurring at the NEI. Additionally, students visited the NEI Eye Clinic and heard lectures by Dr. Jodie Pope, a postdoctoral fellow in the NEI’s Unit on Retinal Neurophysiology and by Dr. Dhanu Meleth, a clinical fellow in the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications. They also had the opportunity to attend workshops, seminars, and journal clubs hosted by OITE.