The 1990s were declared ?The Decade of the Brain? by then President George Bush and Congress. This declaration affirmed what many had known for centuries; the critical importance of the nervous system?s role in coordinating physiological and behavioral processes across a diverse set of taxa. This Presidential/Congressional mandate spurred on a new era of basic science advances in our understanding of neural function. The challenge many years later remains to excite a new generation of scientists committed to accelerating the advances made in this fundamental biological discipline.

A persisting gap in recruiting talented students to careers in science is among historically underrepresented minority groups. The number of underrepresented minorities in neuroscience is woefully small despite the ever growing numbers of these populations in the US. A number of studies suggest that the solution to the problem is to engage and nurture these students through early inclusion in research projects coupled with academic and social support and professional development. Exposure to effective role models, i.e. members of underrepresented minorities who have achieved a measure of success, is warranted as it allows students to see themselves in similar roles.

The overarching goal of the University of Minnesota Minority Undergraduate Summer Research Program is to establish a rigorous program to recruit, nurture, and mentor promising undergraduate science majors from traditionally underrepresented populations to professional careers in research in behavioral neuroendocrinology. The plan for this 10-week course is to 1) recruit these students to a career in science early in their undergraduate career by providing them with a significant research experience, 2) expose these students to the field of biological sciences at large through a capstone poster presentation with students in other research areas, and 3) retain these students in the field, through professional development and ongoing mentored support.

Project Report

A persisting gap in recruiting talented students to careers in science is among historically underrepresented minority groups. The number of underrepresented minorities in neuroscience is woefully small despite the ever growing numbers of these populations in the US. A number of studies suggest that the solution to the problem is to engage and nurture these students through early inclusion in research projects coupled with academic and social support and professional development. Exposure to effective role models, i.e. members of underrepresented minorities who have achieved a measure of success, is warranted as it allows students to see themselves in similar roles. The overarching goal of the University of Minnesota Minority Undergraduate Summer Research Program was to establish a rigorous program to recruit, nurture, and mentor promising undergraduate science majors from traditionally underrepresented populations to professional careers in research in behavioral neuroendocrinology. In this context, we provided these students with an intensive research experience that included professional development and instruction in research ethics. We further exposed these students to the field of biological sciences at large through a capstone poster presentation with students in other biological research areas. Finally, we established a basis for retaining these students in the field through professional development and ongoing mentored support.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
1125716
Program Officer
Diane M. Witt
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2011-06-15
Budget End
2012-05-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$45,000
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55455