Skip to main content

NSF BIT SURE

Are you an NC State Student? Click this link to find research opportunities for you!

Photo of BIT SURE participants 2019.
BIT SURE 2019 Participants

BIT SURE: BIoTechnology-based Sequencing-based Undergraduate Research Experience

Are you interested in working on cutting-edge biotechnology projects?  Would you like to enhance your undergraduate experience and work collaboratively with faculty and peers on research in your area of interest? Do you want to learn more about biotechnology research careers in academia, industry, and government?  Do you want to share exciting science with the public?  If yes, BIT SURE is for you! 

Join the NC State Pack for ten weeks to develop your skills as a scientist over a summer of research, collaboration, professional development, science outreach, and fun!  Students will receive a stipend ($5,500 for ten weeks of research). 

We welcome and encourage applications from students of all identities and backgrounds, including those who may need to request accommodations to facilitate their application and/or participation.

Please note that the summer 2021 experience was our last year of funding.

See the flyer for more information!  *Our last year of the NSF BIT SURE REU was the summer of 2021*


Research Projects & Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Technology:

The BIT SURE program will fund ten undergraduate students to work on research projects that utilize transformative next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools.   

What is NGS? Over a decade ago, the first human genome was sequenced. The project cost $2.7 billion and took over 10 years to complete. Today we can sequence a single human genome in a day for under $1,000 and we have moved way beyond the goal of revealing a single person’s DNA sequence! NGS tools have made this possible and opened a whole new world of scientific investigation.  Scientists are using NGS technologies to explore every niche of the life sciences, from the microbiomes of patients with obesity to the cataloging of arthropod diversity in human homes. NGS tools are transforming the way modern biologists conduct research. Our future holds a world where researchers work with “pocket sequencers” that can deliver massive amounts of sequencing data in real-time. Today’s science students require new skills and knowledge to effectively use this technology and its resulting complex data to answer tomorrow’s important biological questions. BIT SURE is your chance to learn how to tackle these “Big Data” grand challenges of our future. 

Check out these videos featuring potential research mentors and their projects!