Pacific Step-Up Pacific Step-Up

Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL INFORMATION

STEP-UP stands for Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential.

The overall goal of NIDDK's Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP-UP) Program is to build and sustain a biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social science research pipeline focused on NIDDK mission areas.

Selected students are paired with a mentor and carry out a summer research project in their area of interest. Before the summer begins, students are required to complete any necessary training. Throughout the summer internship, students will be expected to submit an abstract, PowerPoint presentation, and a poster (for high school senior participants only) on their research project. At the end of the summer, select students will have the opportunity to attend the Annual Pacific STEP-UP Summer Research Symposium where they will present on their project to fellow STEP-UP participants as well as a professional panel of judges.

Internships are conducted at an affiliated institution near your location.

The start dates are flexible for each student. You will start your internship during the summer at the end of your high school’s calendar year. Students usually begin their research experience during the first week of June. All students are expected to have a minimum of eight (8) consecutive weeks of research experience.

Vacations are not permitted during your research experience. All vacations must be taken before or after the program.

Taking summer school courses or participating in any other type of internship is not allowed due to the amount of time required to of the research project. Students are expected to work full-time (40 hours per week) in a supervised laboratory or clinical facility. Participation in outside activities and the establishment of a work schedule must be negotiated with your research mentor and approved by the program director prior.

While we do our best to match your research interest with a research mentor at a partnering institution, please note that it is not guaranteed.

No, however, we strongly recommend that students pursue research within the NIDDK mission areas: diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases. We will attempt to match students with research mentors within NIDDK core mission areas before matching students with research mentors outside of the NIDDK core mission areas.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet the following requirements in order to be considered for the program:

  • US citizen or Permanent legal resident (or classified as described below)
  • 16 years or older (at time of application)
  • Junior or Senior in high school (at time of application) ​

Not necessarily. If you are not a US citizen, you must be one of the following:

  • Non-citizen national of the US
  • Permanent legal resident of the US
  • Permanent legal resident of a US affiliated territory
  • Permanent legal resident of the Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia

Yes. All students are required to submit a copy of a US passport, US birth certificate, or a government issued photo ID.

Non-citizen nationals are persons born in American Samoa, certain former citizens of the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and certain children of non-citizen nationals born abroad.

Yes. You must be 16 years of age or older. Applicants must also be in their Junior or Senior year of high school at the time of the application period. Those in their Sophomore year must wait for next year’s cycle.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

We recommend that you apply as soon as possible after the application site becomes available on October 15. There will be numerous applicants submitting their applications at the last minute that may result in an electronic system crashing under the load; therefore, do not wait until the last minute to submit your application.

Yes, the application deadline is February 15. Note: Partial applications that are not completed by the deadline will not receive further consideration. The STEP-UP application is available online from October 15 through February 15 each year.

You will need to input basic contact information about yourself and provide your academic and extracurricular information. You will also need to submit an official high school transcript, 2 letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. The application and these additional materials are due on February 15.

No. You will need to reapply and request new letters from your references.

Students can upload an unofficial transcript through the online application system on or before February 15. If you are unable to upload your unofficial transcript, contact us at hawaii.stepup@gmail.com

Yes. Official academic transcripts must reflect all earned credits and grades through December of that academic year.

There are paper applications available through your local program coordinator. You may also request a paper application by emailing hawaii.stepup@gmail.com

 

Once your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email with a list of all of your responses. Incomplete applications will not be submitted and you will see notifications on the survey in red highlighting what information is missing. If you do not receive your confirmation email, then you have NOT submitted the application. 

 

The Pacific STEP-UP Director will begin notifying applicants of acceptance into the STEP-UP program by email on March 15. This will continue until all available spots are filled. Accepted applicants will be required to confirm their participation within one week of notification.

You can email your local program coordinator or send an email to hawaii.stepup@gmail.com