Pathways Into Quantitative Aging Research (PQAR) Summer Program

Participants in the Pathways into Quantitative Aging Research (PQAR) summer program will have an intensive schedule of courses, seminars and research, with enough free time to explore the city of New York on the weekends. For six weeks during the summer, students will receive instruction on quantitative and qualitative research methods, responsible conduct of research (RCR) training as well as GRE-prep. This program is meant to provide students with the skills needed to not only conduct research, but also to apply to and succeed in graduate school. Throughout the program students will be engaged in aging related topics/ research through their coursework, small group projects, seminars and site visits to various Public Health organizations in New York City.  After the completion of the summer program, students will remain in communication with the program through our year-round monthly journal club and mentoring meetings, as well as the possibility of a January return. Students will also have the opportunity to attend academic conferences during the year, with funding from the program.

Coursework 

During the six weeks students will receive formal instruction in Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Statistical Computing.

Small Group Research Projects

One of the main objectives of the PQAR Summer Program is to introduce undergraduates to quantitative research methods. We consider application to age-related diseases, disorders and disabilities. Groups of three students will be paired with faculty research mentors to conduct collaborative research projects on substantive aging research. Groups will additionally receive frequent help from graduate student mentors. 

Faculty Lecture Series

The Faculty Lecture Series has been designed to introduce students to faculty role models who will seek about their own academic trajectories, as well as their current in relevant fields. 

Professional Development Series

In these sessions, students will learn about applying to graduate school from GPH Admissions, they will have informal lunch meetings with Masters students, PhD students, post-doctoral fellows and they will learn about careers in quantitative Public Health fields. 

GRE-Prep Course (5 sessions)

Students will be provided with the opportunity to take a GRE preparation course.

Structured RCR Training (4 sessions)

Students will participate in weekly sessions on Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training to ensure they are prepared to conduct research throughout the summer program and for years to come. The sessions will revolve around traditional ethics RCR training, but will also include quantitative specific training on reproducibility, data sharing and publication.

Social Events

Students will participate in social activities with other summer programs at NYU and with other R25 programs in New York City.

Annual Symposium  

We will invite a prominent keynote speaker, who will combine reflection on her/his distinguished career as a minority scientist with a description of her/his research and professional activities in aging. The symposium will be attended by current and immediately past program participants, faculty, graduate students, and the external and internal advisory boards. Past participants will present posters on their on-going or new research since their participation in the previous summer’s program. It will include scheduled times, such as lunch and breaks, during which mentoring across levels of training and experience will be encouraged and facilitated through assigned seating and small group activities. We will also hold a panel comprised of past participants and graduate students who will discuss their experiences in graduate school and offer advice to current summer program participants. Summer program participants will give oral presentations on their research projects.

Monthly Journal Club 

To maintain a connection with the summer program participants, we will hold a regular journal club during the academic year.  Students will take turns selecting articles and leading the discussion.  Faculty will attend, as well.

January Return 

We will be able to host three summer program participants for a return to NYU during our January session (J-Term).  During this three week period, students will take J-Term courses offered at GPH and continue their summer research projects. 

Academic Conference Support  

We will be able to provide funding to students who wish to attend academic conferences during the academic year, such as SACNAS, ABRCMS, Field of Dreams, StatFest, and others.

For more information, please visit the PQAR website