Qualifications:

First, second, and third year veterinary students from any accredited veterinary school are encouraged to apply.
Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the entire school year.
Applicant must be willing to agree to all expectations and conditions if a STAR award is made.
Previous STAR award recipients, as well as students with advanced degrees or in PhD training programs (e.g., VSTP) are also encouraged to apply for STAR funding.
Applicants with international STAR research projects are encouraged to apply for the SVM International Externship Scholarship, to assist with travel funds.

Prior to Applying:

Begin preparing now! ... your STAR application will be due by 5 pm on February 4, 2008.
Choose an research area of interest to you by browsing information about faculty research interests on the Office of Research & Graduate Education faculty web page . For more information, also see the Quarterly Research Newsletter and the Annual Faculty Research Interests Handbook which provides a comprehensive overview of the School's faculty expertise by species and/or scientific discipline, available on the Office of Research & Graduate Education publications web page.
Select and meet with a School of Veterinary Medicine faculty mentor who will agree to serve as mentor for the summer. Together, the student and faculty mentor identify research interests for fellowship funding consideration.
Carefully review the Conditions of Award to ensure fulfillment of commitment and responsibilities should a STAR award be made.
Click here to view Helpful Suggestions for Preparing a STAR Research Proposal Abstract.

Application Process:

Application forms can be obtained by clicking here (Word). Complete the application online, save to your desktop, and submit as an e- mail attachment to svmstarprogram@ucdavis.edu .
Confirm acknowledgement of the Conditions of Award by checking the appropriate box on your application form prior to submission.
Write in Word format an abstract of the proposed research project and submit with the application as an e-mail attachment. Please refer to this website for tips on how to prepare an abstract: Helpful Suggestions for Preparing a STAR Research Proposal Abstract
Forward the Faculty Mentor Support Letter form (obtained by clicking here) to your mentor. Your mentor should complete the letter online, save to the desktop, and submit as an e-mail attachment to svmstarprogram@ucdavis.edu. Alternatively, it can be printed and mailed via campus or US mail to School of Veterinary Medicine, Office of Research & Graduate Education, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616.

Review Process:

A select committee of faculty from the School of Veterinary Medicine reviews applications and ranks them on the basis of scientific merit and the career objectives of the applicant. Applications submitted by students who were previous recipients of STAR funds will also be evaluated on their past participation in the STAR program.
Applications will be funded based on numerical rank order
Review decisions will be finalized in March 2008.
Students will be notified of the decision by email and letter directly after the review decisions are made. Acknowledgement and agreement to all terms and conditions of award must be returned by the successful applicant within one week of notification of award
Depending on the funding source, students will be informed of the specific expectations associated with the award.

For further information, contact the STAR Program at svmstarprogram@ucdavis.edu or phone 530-754-7746.