About SOAR
The SOAR program is a full-time eight-week summer program that enables Floyd School of Medicine M.D. students to work closely with faculty mentors, exploring basic science, translational, or clinical research, or projects focused on health care quality or patient safety, or educational research. Students and mentors apply for participation in the fall, followed by a selection and matching process that aims to align students' interests with mentors' expertise.
Student Spotlight
Find more student news and notes in our spotlight archives.
SOAR Student Publishes Research on Early Neurodevelopment
We are proud to highlight third-year medical student Amelia Morton, whose first-author publication explores autonomic nervous system function and sensory sensitivity in infants with the FMR1 premutation.
My SOAR experience has given me a greater appreciation for the research and publication process as a whole, as well as how directly this work can shape and improve our future clinical practice as physicians.
The article is a product of her hard work and participation in the SOAR program. Amelia participated in the SOAR program in 2025 under the mentorship of Dr. Jane Roberts, Carolina Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of South Carolina's McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, and Executive Director of the Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopment Research Center.
Amelia's co-author, Abigail Chase, also participated in SOAR in 2024.