Jacob Braddock Receives Summer Fellowship to Mayo Clinic

2016 Apr 20

Jacob Braddock, a Buena Vista University junior biology major from Swea City, is one of two BVU students awarded a stipend and 10-week summer internship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., as part of the Mayo Clinic's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program.

Braddock was awarded a fellowship in the Virology and Gene Therapy Department at the Mayo Clinic. He will receive a stipend from the Mayo Foundation to support his research internship in the laboratory of Stephen J. Russell, M.D., Ph.D.

The Mayo Clinic SURF program is highly competitive, typically accepting only 5-8 percent of applicants. To be accepted, students must have a high GPA, write an engaging essay explaining their interests and experiences in biomedical research and have strong letters of recommendation from faculty who know them well and have observed them in laboratory research settings.

"BVU's rigorous biology classes, required research curriculum and close-knit faculty-student mentoring relationships have helped our students stand out in the SURF application process. Jaelyn and Jacob will be the 14th and 15th BVU students in the past 10 years to participate in the Mayo Clinic SURF program," said Dr. Brian Lenzmeier, professor of biology at BVU. "Our students are fortunate to spend a summer in this environment and most leave the program having found their niche in research and medicine. We are grateful the Mayo Clinic has been so welcoming of our students and providing them with first-rate experiences."