The Wadsworth Center has been educating undergraduate students for several decades through the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program. Over the last three years we have been building on that experience to launch and expand the summer Public Health Laboratory Academy – an applied research internship experience funded in partnership with the Association of Public Health Laboratories. This year, we have 16 synchronous-track students and three asynchronous-track interns across infectious disease, environmental health, and genetics. The synchronous track students have just completed a two-week Lab 101 training bootcamp (May 15-29, 2026) and are off to their divisions and then their project mentors before coming together for end-of-summer presentations. This year, over 35 students, fellows, and staff are involved in teaching, mentoring, and/or organizing this program!
Summer students completed a two-week mentoring and research training program running alongside the Lab 101 bootcamp. Meeting as a group for one hour each day, students and mentors explored topics designed to build the skills needed for a productive research experience. Mentors facilitated the daily discussions and shared first-hand insight into life as a researcher. Topics spanned three areas: practical research skills (reading scientific papers, keeping a laboratory notebook, and translating methods into lab protocols); communication and interpersonal skills (lab etiquette, giving and receiving feedback, and aligning expectations of mentors and mentees); and personal and professional development (fostering inclusive research environments, building research resilience, and maintaining wellbeing under the pressures of scientific work).