Program Overview
The Mercer Undergraduate Research Scholar (MURS) Training Initiative is intended to provide well-qualified undergraduates intending to pursue graduate careers in STEM disciplines with the opportunity to participate early in hypothesis-driven research. For 10 weeks during the summer, students will work full time with a faculty mentor from Mercer’s College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, College of Health Professions, School of Medicine, or College of Pharmacy. In addition to laboratory research, periodic meetings are held with the research faculty at Mercer University and MURS participants to expose students to the broad range of research topics.
Important Dates
Applications Open: Monday, March 17, 2025
Application Deadline: Sunday, March 30, 2025 (11:59pm)
Program Dates: May 19 – July 25, 2025
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must be currently enrolled at Mercer University. Successful applicants will have strong academic records with cumulative and math/science GPAs above 3.0. Previous experience performing independent laboratory research is not required but highly recommended. Due to the full-time nature of the research work to be performed, students are not permitted to take summer classes while participating in the program.
Educational Training Stipend
Payment for program participation is $3,500. These funds will be paid as a taxable stipend. Housing for this program will be provided through campus residence halls as for any summer school student. Housing is only available in Macon and Atlanta. If you choose to find your own housing in Macon or Atlanta, there will be no reimbursement of those housing costs. The University does not provide any housing options for the Columbus or Savannah campuses.
General Terms
As a participant in MURS, you will be expected to keep full-time hours (40 hours per week). The daily start and end times will be decided by your faculty mentor. The primary assignment will be to advance the goals of the research being conducted in your mentor’s lab. Participating students are also prohibited from taking summer courses. This ensures there will be no conflicts with the duties you are required to fulfill in the laboratory.
Application Procedure
The online application should be completed by the application deadline.
Inquiries should be directed to Dr. Garland Crawford, Assistant Provost for Research, GSC 431.