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ARISE Summer Program

Mix with a wide variety of students and faculty, realize the social context of scientific research, and experience both the thrill of scientific discovery as well as the day-to-day little steps.

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ARISE Program at UM

ARISE: A Research Immersive STEM Experience at the University of Mississippi

Created by biologist Dr. Erik Hom, the ARISE@UM program aims to encourage Mississippians to pursue STEM degrees. It is a multi-pronged and multi-phased initiative aimed at improving STEM education and the pipeline of students pursuing STEM degrees in Mississippi. Our first prong and current phase of focus is devoted to providing nurturing research experiences (typically in the summer) for high school students and community college students, as well as their teachers on a case-by-case basis (teachers should email us at arise@olemiss.edu).

Apply to ARISE!

First, determine which ARISE application is appropriate for you.

Are you a current high school student who will attend high school in the fall?

If yes, apply to the ARISE summer program using the form linked below. 

Filing out the form below begins a 2 step application process. The UM Division of Outreach will contact you to complete the second step of filling out the formal ARISE@UM application.

Information regarding the formal application can be found in the "Requirements" section below.

HS Student Pre-Application

Are you a high school student who will graduate in the spring or are you a current community college student?

If yes, apply to the ARISE summer program using the form linked below.

Post-HS or Community College Student Application

Are you a student interested in research experiences outside of the summer period?

If yes, email us a to learn about other research opportunities.

Email ARISE

ARISE Summer Program

STEM research for high school, community college, and their teachers.

Requirements

Participant Requirements and Application Components:

High school applicants to ARISE@UM must meet the following criteria or arrange to provide the following in their application to the program:

  1. Rising 9th (i.e., completed 8th grade) through 12th grade, community college and transfer students (including individuals who may have graduated from high school just prior to the summer are eligible.  Home-schooled applicants will need a letter from a Guardian certifying their grade status (or other valid alternative certification).
  2. School transcript.
  3. Statement of Interest: a 250-500 word statement explaining:
    • why the applicant is interested in participating in ARISE@UM
    • what the applicant hopes to gain from participating in the program
    • the discipline(s) or types of research topics the applicant would be interested in pursuing in the program (names of any particular research mentors can also be mentioned) and the reasons for the choices
    • future aspirations (college and/or career dreams)
  4. Two teacher recommendations sent directly from the teachers to the ARISE@UM Administrative Coordinator; e-mail letters are fine, so long as they originate from a school-issued e-mail address
  5. Satisfactory completion of a screening interview with the ARISE@UM Administrative Coordinator
  6. Set of signed consent forms (see below) including Guardian Consent form acknowledging the realities of working in a university lab setting and the risks associated with the proposed research project (both standard risks and unusual risks will be specified).

Decisions (and exceptions) for acceptance into the ARISE@UM program will ultimately be determined at the discretion of the affiliated Mentor(s) and Administrative Team of the ARISE@UM program.

ARISE @ UM

high school male student working in a biology lab area

Mission and Vision

Our goals with this program are to expose Mississippi high school students to the practice of scientific research, to demonstrate the degree to which research experience can help to improve academic performance, and to develop a pipeline of motivated and qualified MS high school students that attend UM and pursue STEM studies. We want to raise their level of excitement in pursuing further studies in STEM, encourage them to be thoughtful and well-rounded, build camaraderie and lasting friendships with their summer cohort, prepare them for better academic success in general and increase the number of students that pursue STEM careers.

female high school student wearing safety goggles while looking at samples in a container

A Day in the Life

High school or community college students indicate what STEM discipline they wish to experience, and are assigned into a research lab during the summer. It’s not a ‘camp’ or a course (although students can earn research course credit); it’s the opportunity to dive into an ongoing research project with the STEM discipline of their choice!

Beyond the laboratory experience each day, students meet with faculty and experts to learn more about STEM fields and careers, academic success, and scientific writing and communication of results and knowledge.

Erik F Y Hom

A Message from the Program Director and Faculty Coordinator

"If we are serious about improving STEM education at UM and our state, we must engage and recruit students prior their potential enrollment at UM, taking an intentional and long-view approach similar to how our athletics departments pursues potential student athletes."

Erik F Y Hom

Associate Professor of Biology

ARISE Leadership Team

Meet the ARISE Program Director, Co-director, and Assessment Advisor.
Erik Hom

Erik Hom

  • Associate Professor of Biology
Michel Ohmer

Michel Ohmer

  • Assistant Professor of Biology
Candies Winfun-Cook

Candies Winfun-Cook

  • Clinical Assistant Professor of Teacher Education

Meet the Faculty who make up ARISE

Faculty from different STEM fields participate in teaching during the ARISE Summer Program.
Hunain Alkhateb

Hunain Alkhateb

  • Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Associate Director of Graphene Core Testing Facility
Joshua Bloomekatz

Joshua Bloomekatz

  • Associate Professor of Biology
Paul Boudreau

Paul Boudreau

  • Assistant Professor of Pharmacognosy and Research Assistant Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Saumen Chakraborty

Saumen Chakraborty

  • Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Ryan Fortenberry

Ryan Fortenberry

  • Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Erik Hom

Erik Hom

  • Associate Professor of Biology
Toshikazu Ikuta

Toshikazu Ikuta

  • Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Jonah Jurss

Jonah Jurss

  • Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Christopher Leary

Christopher Leary

  • Associate Professor of Biology
Alex Lopez

Alex Lopez

  • Adjunct Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
Paul Loprinzi

Paul Loprinzi

  • Associate Professor of Health, Exercise Science & Recreation Management
Stephanie Miller

Stephanie Miller

  • Professor of Psychology and Provost Faculty Research Scholar for Institutional Transformation
Sasan Nouranian

Sasan Nouranian

  • Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Associate Director for Research at CGRI
Michel Ohmer

Michel Ohmer

  • Assistant Professor of Biology
Yongjian Qiu

Yongjian Qiu

  • Associate Professor of Integrative Plant Biologist (Biology)
Nikki Reinemann

Nikki Reinemann

  • Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Affiliate Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
Gregg Roman

Gregg Roman

  • Professor of Pharmacology in Biomolecular Sciences and Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Courtney Roper

Courtney Roper

  • Assistant Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Research Assistant Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Eden Tanner

Eden Tanner

  • Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Co-Director for the Center for Nano-Bio Interactions
Charles Walter

Charles Walter

  • Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science
Thomas Werfel

Thomas Werfel

  • Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Affiliate Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Affiliate Associate Professor of Biomolecular Sciences and Co-Director the Center for Nano-Bio Interactions
Kristine Willett

Kristine Willett

  • Chair and Professor of Pharmacology & Environmental Toxicology in BioMolecular Sciences and Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Peter Zee

Peter Zee

  • Associate Professor of Biology

Faculty Mentors

Students connect with faculty mentors to learn more about STEM fields and careers, academic success, and scientific writing and communication of results and knowledge.

The faculty members listed below have previously served or currently serve as Faculty Mentors for the ARISE@UM program.

  • Faculty mentor availability will depend year-to-year.
  • If a faculty member is not listed, it is still possible for them to participate.

Brenda Prager

Vignesh Sundaresan

Lina Li

Saumen Chakraborty

Erik Hom

Jing Li

Jinchao Lou

Penghao Li

Zhe (Joe) Xu

Gavin Davies

James Bonifacio

Thai Hoang Le

Eden Tanner

Gregg Roman

Dave Harrison

Yiwei Han

Michel Ohmer

Wen Wu

Steve Brewer

Charles Walter

Sasan Nouranian

Yongjian Qiu

Josh Bloomekatz

Byron Villacorta

Damian Stoddard

Jake Bennett

Nikki Reinemann

Ryan Fortenberry

Jason Hoeksema

Brenton Laing

Mika Jekabson

Hunain Alkhateb

Jonah Jurss

Kristie Willett

Chris Leary

Sayaka Miura

John Gardner