NIH SIP - how many hours will we be required to be physically at the lab?

[varsityblue]

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Dear SDN,
I have an unusual situation: I have to take classes and attend student government meetings at my home university this summer while also completing my NIH summer internship. My research will be in global health/epidemiology and involves lots of statistical computing, library research, and writing.

Given:
- Getting housing in both my collegetown and Bethesda isn't a problem.
- I have the ability to get A's in all of my summer courses without attending the lectures and simply going to required labs and taking required tests.
- The summer term lasts 12 weeks in total.
- The bus from my collegetown to D.C. is $100 each way, has only one departure time (8 am), and lasts roughly 10 hours. (In other words, it eats up an entire day.)
- I don't have a car anymore as the lease expired a few months ago.
- I'm 20, have 5 points on my graduated driver's license for driving without my license and parking in handicapped parking, and am thus ineligible for ZipCar/rental car membership.
- Taking the Amtrak or another train is out of the question.

Problem:
To those with experience in epidemiology research at the NIH or elsewhere, how many hours will I physically be required to be at the Bethesda campus to receive my $6K stipend? Would it be possible to do my research remotely so that I don't miss too many classes, labs, and exams on campus? A) If so, how should I explain the situation to my PI? B) If not, what do you guys think about me locking down housing on campus for the entire summer and simply coming to the university when I have a meeting/lab/exam to attend?

Any advice, feedback, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Varsity Blue

 

[FalconSlice]

I believe that 40hrs minimum per week are required in lab for NIH SIP. However, I am not sure if one is allowed to take classes or another internship while participating in NIH SIP.

Btw, it is stupidly ridiculous that you ask if you can do research remotely... if people could do the research remotely, why do you think there are labs there and you would need to find housing in Bethesda?!?

Also, you don't say how many hours you are taking. Getting As while not attending lecture and only the labs make you sound like a horrible student, and doing this while working full time (40hrs) in Bethesda is absurd.

So I (as I am sure most people would say), pick one--- classes or NIH. Do not drag your PI into this as he/she will think: "well this person is clearly not interested in doing good research, but just here to build his/her resume and doesn't care about my work." Also the 6K stipend is before taxes. So you are actually looking at ca $4000.

Do some thinking on your own before you waste other people's time with your problems.

 

[IlDestriero]

I did a summer research fellowship at the NIH years ago in the NIAID. It was an ~8-4 set up, sometimes 6 or 7 depending on what was going on. This was a lab gig though, actually performing experiments, etc. There was lots of downtime, but that's when I was looking things up, analyzing data, etc. If you tell the PI you want to work remotely one or two days a week and take classes he'll probably tell you to stay home. This is your chance to see what full time researchers at a major research institute do. It's like foreign language immersion. You get to see if you're really interested in pursuing an academic career, it's not some part time job. Are you going to ask him to present your research for you on poster day?
Get real man.

 

[gettheleadout]

There's a reason nearly every summer research program explicitly prohibits participants from taking courses or holding other employment during the program.

 

[StoicJosher]

There's a reason nearly every summer research program explicitly prohibits participants from taking courses or holding other employment during the program.

👍 Pretty much. I would be surprised if this internship doesn't come with this clause either.

 

[Ismet]

When I did the SIP 3 years ago, it was a 40 hour/week commitment for 12 weeks. 9am-5pm, 5 days per week, and I went in almost every day for the last few weeks to finish up for my poster. It is a full-time job. You might get extremely lucky and get a PI who will let you somehow do this "remote research," but technically you are not allowed absences unless you are sick. If I were you, I would just pick one or the other. The SIP is a very competitive program and there are hundreds of students who would fully commit to the program if given the opportunity, so I'm fairly certain that you would be asked to choose. If you absolutely have to take those classes, then you should turn down NIH and apply again next year.

 

[BiopsychStudent]

They're only going to have you for three months. They want to get their money's worth, and they've probably planned the laboratories activities around having a student assistant there full-time. This isn't a part-time research gig with some undergrad professor for 10-hours/week You have to accommodate them; not the other way around.

You can take the classes any time. This is an opportunity you've been given that a lot of students compete over.

 

[Stumpyman]

As everyone else has said, the NIH SIP is basically a full-time job. Pretty much every summer research internship prohibits you from taking classes or doing another job while doing the internship (and most even discourage you from having secondary plans in mind, such as studying long hours for the MCAT). Plus, you mentioned it's a 10 hr (full day) trip from your current place to Bethesda... that's insanely long, being as you'll need to be at the research labs every weekday (mainly).

I know you've painted yourself as the invincible SDN superman, Varsity, but I really don't think you (or mostly anyone) could pull that off.

 

[skiing]

The SIP has program guidelines which state you should work full time. However, the IRTA program (the program through which postbacs, postdocs, trainees etc are hired) can take many forms. Each specific lab sets their own requirements and hires IRTAs for their own purpose. You can get paid as a Student IRTA, Technical IRTA, Postbac IRTA, Postdoc IRTA, etc.... student IRTAs are research associates who are enrolled full-time in a degree program, and if a lab hires you as a student IRTA you get paid by the hour. You could try looking for a lab looking for a student IRTA and they can hire you directly rather than going through the SIP application.

 

[deleted393595]

Dear SDN,
I have an unusual situation: I have to take classes and attend student government meetings at my home university this summer while also completing my NIH summer internship. My research will be in global health/epidemiology and involves lots of statistical computing, library research, and writing.

Given:
- Getting housing in both my collegetown and Bethesda isn't a problem.
- I have the ability to get A's in all of my summer courses without attending the lectures and simply going to required labs and taking required tests.
- The summer term lasts 12 weeks in total.
- The bus from my collegetown to D.C. is $100 each way, has only one departure time (8 am), and lasts roughly 10 hours. (In other words, it eats up an entire day.)
- I don't have a car anymore as the lease expired a few months ago.
- I'm 20, have 5 points on my graduated driver's license for driving without my license and parking in handicapped parking, and am thus ineligible for ZipCar/rental car membership.
- Taking the Amtrak or another train is out of the question.

Problem:
To those with experience in epidemiology research at the NIH or elsewhere, how many hours will I physically be required to be at the Bethesda campus to receive my $6K stipend? Would it be possible to do my research remotely so that I don't miss too many classes, labs, and exams on campus? A) If so, how should I explain the situation to my PI? B) If not, what do you guys think about me locking down housing on campus for the entire summer and simply coming to the university when I have a meeting/lab/exam to attend?

Any advice, feedback, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Varsity Blue

Might I suggest quantum teleportation?

 

[varsityblue]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'm able to stay on campus for the first term of the summer and have made arrangements to submit assignments electronically for the second term. Win-win!

 

[gettheleadout]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'm able to stay on campus for the first term of the summer and have made arrangements to submit assignments electronically for the second term. Win-win!

So you're still going to take classes while doing the SIP? I'd rather have *some* free time in the summer but that's just me...

 

[Double Trouble]

So you're still going to take classes while doing the SIP? I'd rather have *some* free time in the summer but that's just me...

Gunners gonna gun