Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Participant Information

All 2021 Summer Institutes courses will be held online. Module registration closes seven days prior to the start of the module.

Scholarship applications for SISG are being accepted on a rolling basis. 

Jump to Scholarship Questions

Course schedule

The live session timeframe for SISG, SISMID, and SISBID is below (exact schedule with live session times will be posted by module instructors prior to the start of the module).

  • Mondays: 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Pacific (11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Eastern)
  • Tuesdays: 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Pacific  (11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Eastern)
  • Wednesdays:
    • 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. Pacific for courses that end on Wednesday (11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Eastern)
    • 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Pacific for courses that start on Wednesday (2:30-5:30 p.m. Eastern)
  • Thursdays, 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Pacific  (11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Eastern)
  • Fridays, 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Pacific (11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Eastern)

For SISCER, live sessions will be held 8:30-noon, Pacific (11:30-3 p.m. Eastern) unless otherwise indicated on the module description page.

Please note registrants may not participate in concurrent modules for SISG, SISBID or SISMID (i.e., participants may take only one course per session). However, participants may take concurrent SISCER modules.

Zoom video platform plus Slack channel

We will use Zoom for live sessions. You do not need to have a Zoom account in order to attend a live session. Links for Zoom sessions will be included in the course materials. If you are new to Zoom, when you click the link you will be prompted to download the Zoom software package. If you plan to use a smartphone, you will need to download the Zoom app. For the best educational experience, we highly recommend that you use a computer to participate in the Summer Institutes, with a tablet as a second choice, and smartphone as the third. Zoom recordings will be available to respective module registrants until October 1, 2021

In addition, each module will use a Slack channel available only to participants in that module where instructors will post messages, links, answers to participant questions, etc. Registrants will receive an invitation to join the Slack channel at least six days prior to the start of a module. If you do not receive a Slack invitation, please check your spam and junk folders as well as your network settings (employer and institutional firewalls sometimes block invitations). . If you still do not find the Slack invitation, please contact Deb Nelson, nelsod6@uw.edu.

Group Registrations

If your institution or organization plans to make a single payment for registration fees for a group of people, please contact Scott Sipes, dssipes@uw.edu, to arrange for a single invoice and payment method. Individuals must register individually, but in order to be included on the invoice must use the same identical, case sensitive billing address for their registration.

Disability-related accommodations and services

The Summer Institutes is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. If you are in need of accommodation to participate fully in this event, please contact Deb Nelson at 206-685-9323 or nelsod6@uw.edu.

Code of Conduct

All persons—including but not limited to students, staff, faculty, affiliates, guests, and visitors, both in person and online —agree to comply with the UW Biostatistics Conduct Policy.

Contact for questions

Deb Nelson, nelsod6@uw.edu, 206-685-9323.

Registration Questions

Will live sessions be recorded?

We plan to record live-stream sessions and post links that participants can access by logging in to their module page or accessing the module's Slack channel. We will not record any group work live sessions that occur within a module. Module recordings will be available to that module's participants through October 1, 2021. Module participants will be able to view their course recordings but will not have the option to download them.

Can I take concurrent modules?

Registrants may not take concurrent modules.

When does module registration close?

Module registration will close 7 days prior to the start of a module or earlier if the course reaches its capacity.

Are any prerequisites needed in order to participate in a module?

Knowledge requirements or prerequisites are outlined in the module description. If a module was offered in 2020, registrants may access the Summer Institutes Archives to view course materials from previous years to gauge the knowledge base needed for module content.

Can I get credit for Summer Institutes courses?

Summer Institutes modules are considered training courses, not university academic courses. Institute attendees are not required to register as university students and no university credit is awarded for participation. However, participants will receive a certificate of participation.

How do I change modules?

Module change requests must be made at least 7 days prior to the start of a module. If you wish to switch modules, please email uwbiost@uw.edu with the following information:

  • Name and email used to register
  • Order Number
  • Modules you wish to cancel
  • Modules you wish to add

How do I cancel my registration?

Please email your cancellation request to uwbiost@uw.edu. Be sure to include the name and email used to register as well as your order number.

REFUND POLICY:

Canceling a credit card payment, including changing payment from credit card to invoice or UW budget number, will result in the following cancellation fees:

  • Cancellations made on or before June 18 will be subject to a $70 processing fee.
  • Cancellations made June 18 to June 30 will be subject to a $100 processing fee.
  • No refunds will be processed after June 30.

Scholarship Questions

If I am applying for a scholarship, do I need to register for the modules as well?

Space has been reserved in each module for scholarship recipients. Please do not register for modules that you request in your scholarship application. If you are awarded a scholarship, you will receive a unique code to use to register for modules.

How do I apply for a scholarship?

Links to the scholarship application and criteria will be posted to the SISG and SISMID scholarship pages during the application period. Please note scholarships are not available for SISBID and SISCER modules. Scholarship recipients are eligible to have registration costs provided for up to three modules (total, not per institute).

We recommend completing your application in one session. If this is not possible, be sure to submit your information before closing your browser. You may then access your application through your dashboard. When you have completed your application click SUBMIT and the system will give you the opportunity to review your application. Once you have reviewed your application please click SUBMIT again to file your application. 

What should be included in the application statement?

The applicant statement should address how requested modules will contribute to, or advance, an applicant’s research or career goals (how the applicant expects to use information learned through the modules); how the applicant’s experience to date has prepared them for these modules (academic, volunteer, personal experiences/challenges, etc.); and any other relevant information reviewers should know about why an applicant is applying for a scholarship.

What should be included in the letter of recommendation?

Scholarship applications should include a statement from the applicant’s academic advisor that states: (1) the benefit to the applicant’s graduate program of attendance at SISG; (2) that the SISG modules being applied for are not available at the applicant’s institution, and (3) that attendance at SISG by the applicant would be less likely without scholarship support.

How does my advisor submit a letter of recommendation for my scholarship application?

  • Include the name and email of your advisor in your scholarship application.
  • Email the following link to your advisor (make sure your advisor uses the same email you provided in your application): http://www.biostat.washington.edu/suminst/advisor/recommendation
  • You may send an email to your advisor from your application dashboard; however, you must save your application first in order for this function to work.
  • If your advisor is not able to upload your letter of recommendation, please have them email the letter to either sisig@uw.edu (Statistical Genetics) or sismid@uw.edu (Infectious Diseases).

How do I know if my scholarship application has been received or whether anything is missing?­­­­

You may log into your scholarship application at any point to check on its status (so remember your user name and password). Under Application Status, you will see one of the following.

  • Submitted. This means that an application has been started but is not yet complete. An application is not complete until a letter of recommendation has been uploaded by your advisor.
  • Ready for Review. This means your application is complete and ready for review by the Summer Institutes directors. Generally, it takes several weeks to review all applications.
  • In Review. This means an application has been reviewed by one director but is awaiting review by another.
  • Reviewed. The application has been reviewed and is awaiting release of the decision. We release all decisions on the same day, Friday, April 9.
  • Released. A decision regarding the application has been made and your dashboard will reflect whether you have been awarded a scholarship(s). In conjunction with releasing the award, we send an email to applicants notifying them of their final award status.

For additional questions and clarification, please contact:

Statistical Genetics: sisg@uw.edu

Statistics for Big Data: sisbid@uw.edu

Statistics and Modeling in Infectious Diseases: sismid@uw.edu

Statistics in Clinical & Epidemiological Research: siscer@uw.edu

General Inquiries: uwbiost@uw.edu