Chemistry sophomore Zahra Mahmood wanted to work for the National Institutes of Health and began looking into potential job opportunities at the institutes over winter break. Aside from the possible prestige she could get from researching at the world’s largest biomedical research funder, the NIH offered environmental health and research opportunities that aligned with her interests and her future career path—cardiology.
With just one email, Mahmood’s plans for the summer were changed. After spending days on her application, writing essays, getting letters of recommendation and submitting it, she was informed the NIH had canceled its internships for the upcoming summer on Feb. 27.
In an email sent to Mahmood, the NIH cited “uncertainty” as the reason for canceling the summer internships. Mahmood does not know for sure what the uncertainty is, but she said she suspects it is due to recent funding cuts from President Donald Trump’s administration.
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