Want to Gain More Hands-On Research Experience and Career Development Training in Psychology?
The application opens now! If you are interested, please fill out this google form to apply by April 15, 2023, at 11:59 PM.
The DiSH Lab offers a summer intensive program for underrepresented students from 2-year and community colleges. The program is intended to provide research experience and career development training to underrepresented undergraduates who wish to gain experience in hands-on research in psychology.
All students will receive a stipend of $1,200 for their participation.
The summer intensive course this year will take place from June 19th to June 30th. In-person sessions will happen from 10:30 am – 6:30 pm every weekday.
Each day has 5 distinct modules: (1) a seminar-type lab meeting; (2) a research skills workshop; (3) a career development workshop; (4) dedicated time to work on a study proposal; and (5) dedicated time for writing. The table below displays the topics for the research and career modules.
Research Skills Workshop | Career Development Workshop |
1. Reviewing literatures
2. Experimental designs 3. Cutting-edge methods 4. Human subjects and the IRB 5. Deception 6. Statistical analysis and SPSS I 7. Statistical analysis and SPSS II 8. Writing an empirical paper 9. Presenting your work 10. Student presentations on proposed studies |
1. Introduction: What’s grad school?
2. The GRE 3. Choosing a graduate program 4. The personal statement 5. Building your CV 6. Secrets of successful applications 7. Workshopping personal statements I 8. Workshopping personal statements II 9. Interviewing 10. Grad student panel |
2021: Student
“I just want to say thank you for selecting me to be part of this summer intensive program. I appreciate all the feedback, tips, and advice from all the members of the lab. I learned a lot these two weeks. I wish I would have been longer to keep working with graduate students and other interns as well. All of the questions I had about graduate school were answered and I listened to other information about graduate school I was not aware of. I am leaving the program with a much greater knowledge about graduate student life, research, and graduate schools applications. Thank you so much!”
2019: Student 1
“The two week intensive program was educational and eye opening, learning first hand from graduate students from UCLA about applying for graduate schools and what research entails was a takeaway that will benefit me in understanding what I would like to do in the future.”
2019: Student 2
“Before attending this program, I was unsure of where my academic journey would take me. The DiSH Summer Intensive Program has left me with insightful knowledge about graduate programs and the world of academia that I was previously unaware of. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me.”
2019: Student 3
“The DiSH Summer Intensive was a great experience that helped solidify my pursuit of higher education. I received academic counseling that made me more confident in my future as a graduate student, and had the opportunity to collaborate with like minded individuals.”
2016: Student
“Participating in the Summer Intensive Program is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my transition to UCLA from Cerritos College. Dr. Tomiyama and her graduate students provided valuable coursework that helped me prepare for the rigorous UCLA experience.”

Contact Us
A461 Pritzker Hall, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095
DiSH Lab email: dishlab@psych.ucla.edu
Dr. T’s email: tomiyama@psych.ucla.edu