Clark Atlanta University proposes to develop and implement a program addressing the impetus of the NIGMS/MORE Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) for its undergraduate and graduate students in the biological sciences and chemistry. The undergraduate component of the RISE program will provide students with specific enrichment activities. These include: 1) pre-freshman college preparatory courses; 2) group recitation sessions for key first-year courses (e.g., General Biology, General Chemistry); 3) required tutorials for courses such as General Biology, General Chemistry, Physics and Pre- calculus; and 4) a weekly meeting (RISE seminar) where topics of discussion will include adapting to college life, the challenges of being a science major, and the career options in the sciences. These academic enrichment activities will change as the student progresses through their academic programs so that they are appropriate for the developmental phase of the student. The undergraduate component will also contain a research apprenticeship requirement starting in the post-freshman summer. This apprenticeship experience will include workshops on specific research techniques and assignment to a research mentor (starting in the sophomore year) for actual research performance and subsequent research presentation. The goals of the combined academic enhancement and research apprenticeship are to retain students in the science major track especially during the freshman year; to increase the number to students who apply to and are accepted into graduate school, and to increase the number of students who successfully complete Ph.D. degree programs in the biomedical sciences. The graduate component of the RISE program will offer some academic enrichment but will mainly center on increased exposure of the students to cutting edge research technology, exposure to some of the most notable biomedical scientists today, opportunities for these student to do research with productive scientists, to present their research at national meetings in their field and to publish their results in peer-reviewed journals. The goals of the graduate RISE program are to: 1) increase the number of student who complete their Ph.D. program; 2) increase the number of publications authored doctoral students and 3) increase the number of degree recipients who enter into post-doctoral training.
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