The goals of the National Institutes of Health's Initiative for Minority Student Development are to: (1) increase the number of underrepresented minorities entering careers in biomedical research, and (2) encourage the development and expansion of programs to improve the academic and research competitiveness of minority students at the undergraduate and graduate level. The core of our proposal is to train 10 doctoral students per year in three areas of biomedical sciences: biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, and chemistry. This predoctoral funding is critical because in the first two years students are trying to find research mentors and establish a working relationship with them. The second component of our grant is an eight-week Research Institute, in which 20 undergraduate students will work in two molecular biology laboratories in groups of four with a research director and graduate research assistants. This research group experience will increase their research skills and foster interactions between the members of each group. We recognize that the central role of an undergraduate research experience is to motivate young people to pursue graduate careers and enhance their probability of success in graduate studies. The institute is designed based on the assumption that to cultivate the next generation of minority graduate students and faculty, it is necessary to first understand what broad range of characteristics distinguish successful and less successful graduate students. A three-year evaluation of the first institute has helped identify major indices of a successful graduate student. Indices imply: 1) academic motivation, 2) time management, 3) peer collaboration, 4) life planning and goal-setting skills, 5) oral and written communication skills, 6) a level of creativity and independence, critical thinking skills, 8) faculty involvement/networking, 9) motivation and willingness to accept challenges, 10) computer literacy, and 11) test taking skills. The program is enriched with faculty activities; it includes an orientation program, faculty-led discussions of research design and methodology, group meetings which address topics pertinent to graduate study, a GRE preparation series, technical writing preparation, and final research presentations. Social outings will be planned for the students to see a play, tour a museum, and visit Chicago. Our plan is to form an advisory committee made up of Purdue alumni. Additionally, we plan to hire a consultant to evaluate the program. Over 140 students will be impacted by this four-year grant.
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