A five-day summer internship program for undergraduate students interested in the life sciences was organized by the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology from August 4 to 8, 2014. Thirty-four students were selected out of the 120 applicants for this program, which offers participants the opportunity to carry out cutting-edge research, to learn about the latest research in developmental and regenerative biology through lectures, and to meet and talk with CDB scientists through laboratory visits. This is the third time that the program has been organized.

In their host laboratories, the students carried out small-scale themed projects and learned experimental techniques from the supervising lab members. There was also time allotted for students to drop by other laboratories to hear about the research carried out in those labs and actively take part in discussions with CDB scientists.

On the final day of the internship, the group of students in each lab presented a summary of their project to the others. A special award session was added to the program this year, which recognized the top three outstanding presentations.

The internship program closed with final words from Shigeo Hayashi (Group Director, Laboratory for Morphogenetic Signaling) to the students saying, “We hope that the experiences gained through the internship become a stepping stone for you toward a career in the sciences.”