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SPURA

414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, S.D. 57069

Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Center for Brain and Behavior Research (CBBRe) offers a multi-disciplinary summer research program that gives USD undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct mentored, hypothesis-driven research in fields related to substance use and related mental health issues. The program is geared toward first-generation college students from rural backgrounds, but all USD and non-USD undergraduate students are encouraged to apply.

The SPURA program is supported by a grant from NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) - R25-DA033674.

Research Details

Program activities include mentored research experience by faculty and peer mentors, training in the responsible conduct of research, weekly social events for students, professional development and scientific seminars and opportunities to present findings at internal and external conferences.

Students in the program will receive a housing allowance and a $6,000 stipend for the 10-week program. The faculty mentor will receive $1,000 to support the student's research project or students' travel to a meeting to present their work.

SPURA Schedule

Faculty Mentors

Students will work with a faculty mentor for 10 weeks over the summer on a dedicated research project. Faculty involved in this program are members of the departments of biology, psychology, addiction studies, psychiatry and pediatrics, the division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, the School of Business and Sanford Research. Potential faculty mentors are not restricted to this list.
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lee Baugh

Lee Baugh

Associate Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Taylor Bosch

Taylor Bosch

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Brian Burrell

Brian Burrell

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Brianna Byllesby

Brianna Byllesby

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Grant Campbell

Grant Campbell

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
Bio Image for Faculty Member BreAnne Danzi

BreAnne Danzi

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Bridget Diamond-Welch

Bridget Diamond-Welch

Associate Professor, Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Melissa Dittberner

Melissa Dittberner

Lecturer
Bio Image for Faculty Member Yohaan Fernandes

Yohaan Fernandes

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Victor Huber

Victor Huber

Professor

Specialty

Microbiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member John Korkow

John Korkow

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member William Mayhan

William Mayhan

Dean, Basic Biomedical Science/Professor

Specialty

Physiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lisa McFadden

Lisa McFadden

Associate Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular and Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Luye Qin

Luye Qin

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular
Bio Image for Faculty Member Timothy Ricker

Timothy Ricker

Assistant Professor

Patrick Ronan

Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member KC Santosh

KC Santosh

Chair, Computer Science/Associate Professor

Specialty

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Bio Image for Faculty Member Samuel Sathyanesan

Samuel Sathyanesan

Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jewel Shepherd

Jewel Shepherd

Associate Dean, Graduate Programs

Specialty

Health Services/ Hospital Admin
Bio Image for Faculty Member Raluca Simons

Raluca Simons

Director, Disaster Mental Health Institute/Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Gabrielle Strouse

Gabrielle Strouse

Div Chair, Couns & Psych/Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Cliff Summers

Cliff Summers

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Hyung Suk Yang

Hyung Suk Yang

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member JongSung Yoon

JongSung Yoon

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Hong Zheng

Hong Zheng

Associate Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience and Physiology
View All Faculty Mentors

Making an Impact

With expert faculty, incredible research opportunities and strong regional partnerships, USD's research centers foster academic excellence and spur economic growth. 

Apply to SPURA

Interested in conducting research in the areas of mental health and addiction? Apply to the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research in Addiction program now. Applications are due in early February.

Recent News

SPURA Success Story

Success story Carly Cooper smiling.
I have too many great memories to count! One of my favorites was being a part of SPURA. While a volunteer in the Neuropsychology lab, I was selected for the program where I conducted research on the human circadian system and its role in behavioral task performance. My peers and I learned about the underlying mechanism of addiction, substance use disorders, and advancements in mental health treatment. My favorite part of SPURA was the Thursday Luncheons!

Carly Cooper

B.S. Medical Biology '21
1st Year Medical Student, Sanford School of Medicine
Spearfish, SD

Departments & Facilities

Explore the departments, facilities and centers that contribute to your education and research.
A BBS Student using a dropper during a lab test.

Basic Biomedical Sciences

Housed in the state's only medical school, the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences creates an environment of innovative and interdisciplinary research aimed at examining human disease.

Lee Baugh smiling in front of a monitor showing brain research.

Center for Brain and Behavior Research

The Center for Brain and Behavior Research (CBBRe) promotes outstanding training of research students and fellows, feeding the pipeline of creative independent scientists in the fields of neuroscience and behavioral science.

Program Leadership

Get to know the faculty and staff in the SPURA program. Our faculty are experts in their field, contributing to research the areas of addiction and mental health.
Bio Image for Faculty Member Brian Burrell

Brian Burrell

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lisa McFadden

Lisa McFadden

Associate Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular and Neuroscience

Continue Exploring In SPURA

SPURA Application