The goal of the proposed Increasing Minority Admissions to Research Institutions (IMARI) program is to increase the pool of competitive disadvantaged students electing to pursue advanced biomedical research careers. The IMARI program will provide: a) an early academic intervention component - providing educational enhancement through an After-School Academic Reinforcement and Enrichment (ASARE) program;b) a mentoring and advising component for freshman students, available to them through graduation;c) for research: an in-house pre-research training program and an off-campus biomedical research training aspect. Additionally, participants will be exposed to top researchers through a Visiting Scientist program;d) a forum for science faculty to develop their critical thinking skills. It is expected that 60% of participants in the IMARI program will matriculate into graduate programs.

Public Health Relevance

The IMARI program will be administered at Oakwood University which has a history of producing large numbers of minority undergraduates in the biological sciences. According to a report in Online Diverse Issues in Higher Education (2010), Oakwood College was ranked in the Top Twenty among HBCUs graduating students in the Biomedical Sciences, many of whom go on to achieve MD, MD/PhD. and PhD degrees in the biomedical sciences. The proposed project aims to increase the number of students in underrepresented groups in biomedical and behavioral research who successfully complete PhD degrees in these fields and who are prepared for competitive research careers and leadership positions in public health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Education Projects (R25)
Project #
5R25GM106994-02
Application #
8708161
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (TWD)
Program Officer
Broughton, Robin Shepard
Project Start
2013-08-01
Project End
2018-04-30
Budget Start
2014-05-01
Budget End
2015-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
$307,325
Indirect Cost
$22,765
Name
Oakwood College
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
072095326
City
Huntsville
State
AL
Country
United States
Zip Code
35896
Volkov, Alexander G; Nyasani, Eunice K; Tuckett, Clayton et al. (2016) Electrophysiology of pumpkin seeds: Memristors in vivo. Plant Signal Behav 11:e1151600