2025 DREAM - Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program
The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program "DREAM" is a 10 week summer program designed to increase the number of women and racially underrepresented groups in medical physics by offering research opportunities, outreach and strategic mentorship geared towards recruiting a more robust and diverse group of skilled undergraduate students in the field of medical physics. DREAM fellows are selected on a competitive basis. The selected fellows choose a mentorship opportunity from a list of mentors/institutions in the U.S. and Canada which are consistent with their research and career interests. This fellowship includes a $6,000 stipend, which is based upon an expectation of a 40-hour per week effort for 10 weeks (May to September), dates to be mutually suitable to the mentor and fellow. Selected fellows have the opportunity to attend the 2025 AAPM Annual Meeting in Washington, DC (complimentary registration and $500 towards travel expenses.)
More information about What is Medical Physics?
Sponsored by the AAPM Professional Council through the AAPM Education & Research Fund, with acknowledgment to the North Central Chapter and Northwest Chapter for additional funding.
DREAM (formerly known as Minority Undergraduate Summer Experience Program) Award Winners History.
Student Eligibility
- Each student applicant shall have completed at least 2 years of their undergraduate studies, but shall not have graduated. Students with a graduation date of Spring 2025 are not eligible.
- Applicants shall have declared a major or be eligible to declare a major in physics, engineering, or other science, which requires mathematics at least through differential equations, modern physics/quantum mechanics, electricity and magnetism or equivalent courses in engineering sciences.
- DREAM Fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens, Canadian citizens and Permanent residents of the U.S.; DACA students are welcome to apply.
- Prior fellowship recipients not eligible.
To be submitted no later than 11:59pm ET on February 5, 2025:
- Official transcripts of all university study must be sent to grantsandfellowships@aapm.org directly from the institution. Do not delay in requesting official transcripts. Transcripts which do not arrive by the deadline may result in disqualification of the applicant. These transcripts will be uploaded to your application by the fellowship administrator.
- Two letters of reference sent to grantsandfellowships@aapm.org. These letters will be uploaded to your application by the fellowship administrator.
- CV uploaded as a .pdf to the application. A CV template is provided in the application.
- Please write a personal statement, approximately one page, describing your interest in the AAPM DREAM Fellowship program. Please include in your statement a discussion regarding your interest in medical physics, and your experience as an under-represented minority in STEM. Please also describe what you hope to gain from this experience, and the impact you believe this fellowship would have toward achieving your professional goals. Upload as a .pdf.
Student Application Deadline: February 5, 2025
Recipients Notified By: February 28, 2025
Mentor Eligibility
Each selected fellow will have a mentor employed by a university, a research facility, a hospital or clinical facility, or a radiological industry within the United States or Canada. Mentors must be a faculty medical physicist in a university environment, a person working in a medical physics related field or a qualified medical physicist. Each mentor must be a full member of AAPM. Attestation of Employer support and Indemnification is an application requirement. More information on Mentor Requirements and Guidelines.
In the application the mentor will specify a period of 10 weeks during the summer academic period (May to September) during which the mentor will be responsible for the supervision of the undergraduate student fellow.
Mentor Application Deadline: February 5, 2025
Program Contact: grantsandfellowships@aapm.org