Program Details

Duties and Responsibilities

Each summer, 4-6 students and one teacher will be awarded NEETO Fellowships. NEETO Fellows will spend 2 weeks, full-time in the Carrillo Lab. Students and teachers will be exposed to various experimental techniques for half the day and the other half will be spent building a system that allows for examining locomotion of a variety of organisms. This system will expose students to 3D printing, circuit board construction, computer programming, and facilitate inquiry-based hypotheses that can be directly tested. After successful construction of the system, students will use it to test for locomotion defects in Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly). The Carrillo lab uses these organisms to study nervous system development so students and teachers will directly contribute to ongoing research. Students and teachers will also learn about neuroscience research in other labs by visiting labs and participating in hands-on demonstrations. On the last day of the program, students will give a presentation to the Carrillo lab and colleagues describing their work during the two weeks. Also, teachers will take the behavior system back to their classrooms to engage more students in inquiry-based curriculum.

Requirements for Students

- - - Successfully completed a high school biology course, or on track to complete this school year.
    - Available every weekday between Monday, July 21, 2025 and Monday, August 4, 2025 to participate in the program. The program will run from 9am to 5pm with lunch provided each day.
    - Able to provide their own transport via CTA or parent drop off to the UChicago Hyde Park Campus (920 E. 58th St) each day of the program.
    - Participation in an orientation field trip to UChicago after school at the end of May or beginning of June.
    - Completion of pre-work assignments before the fellowship begins.
    - Have proof of valid COVID-19 vaccination.
    - Students will be paid a stipend for the program.

Requirements for Teachers

- - - Be a CPS certified science teacher.
    - Available every weekday between Monday, July 21, 2025 and Monday, August 4, 2025 to participate in the program. The program will run from 9am to 5pm with lunch provided each day.
    - Able to provide own transport to the UChicago Hyde Park Campus (920 E. 58th St) each day of the program.
    - Have proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

Required Materials

For Students

To apply to NEETO, applicants must prepare the following documents and submit them via Google docs (your teacher will provide instructions):

- - - - Cover letter: Please explain why you’re interested in NEETO and science in general
        
        Transcript from your high school (school admin can email the transcript directly to Robert Carrillo if needed). This can be an unofficial transcript
        
        A brief letter from your science teacher describing why they think you’d be a good fit for this program

For Teachers

To apply to NEETO, teacher applicants must provide the following documents to Dr. Robert Carrillo:

- - - - Cover letter stating your interest in the program and your willingness to devote two weeks during the summer
        
        CV/Resume

Compensation

NEETO student fellows will receive a $1,000 stipend and some travel compensation if necessary.

NEETO teacher fellows will receive a $3,200 stipend.

Application Due Date

Applications, including recommendation letters, must be submitted by March 21st 2025 at 5pm.

Questions

If you have any questions about NEETO, please email Robert Carrillo (robertcarrillo@uchicago.edu).

Personnel

Dr. Robert Carrillo

Associate Professor
NEETO Program Co-Director

Contact

robertcarrillo@uchicago.edu

Deanna Digitale-Grider

NEETO Program Co-Director

Contact

dddigitale@email.com

Parisa Tajalli Tehrani Valverde

4th year DRSB Student
Activities Co-Supervisor

Contact

ptajalli@uchicago.edu

Luciano Simonetta

3rd Year DRSB Student
Activities Co-Supervisor

Contact

lsimonetta@uchicago.edu