Teaching and Training HBCU Vision Research Summer Internship Program Undergraduate Opportunities Visual Science Training Program HBCU Vision Research Summer Internship Program Home Education Teaching and Training HBCU Vision Research Summer Internship Program Passionate About Serving and Engaging in our Community The Center for Translational Vision Research is passionate about serving and engaging in our community near and far. Together, with UCI Summer Research Undergraduate Fellowship (SURF), we create and offer summer internship opportunities to the minority and underrepresented groups. We see the national need for the minority scientists to engage in vision research and believe that there is a large talent population in the historically underrepresented groups. HBCU Vision Research Internship Overview This eight-week summer internship program invites high-achieving, underrepresented undergraduate students to participate in the state-of the-art research in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, system biology and pharmacology in the field of Vision. The program is aimed to introduce young researchers from Historically Black Universities and Colleges (HBCUs) to the careers in translational vision research. Program Directors: Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, PhD – Assistant Professor, CTVR, UCI Barry Kupperman, MD PhD – Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, UCI Program Administrator: Anna Kiker, MBA, CRA – Assistant Director, CTVR HBCU Vision Research Internship Students Mykala Garner, 2023 Summer Student My name is Mykala Garner, and I am from Columbia, SC. I am a junior majoring in biology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. In my free time, I enjoy doing nails, playing with my dog, and baking. I also love to do pilates and work out. My top three career choices are ophthalmology, dentistry, and genetics. I chose to apply for the UC Irvine Ophthalmology internship because it combined my top two interests: research and ophthalmology. I have excelled the past two years in my undergraduate research courses and wanted to experience research on a higher level. Sean Kelly Davis, 2022 Summer Student My name is Sean Kelly Davis. I am a recent college graduate from North Carolina A&T State University. I am 20 years old and graduated in only 2 years with my bachelor of science in biology on the pre-med track. My favorite class during undergrad was Organic Chemistry I. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio but want to move either to the West Coast or the South. My aspirations include medical school and eventually becoming a physician. I am also a basketball player for North Carolina A&T State University. In my free time, I am a social media influencer on Instagram and TikTok.