Within the three short years since the University of Kansas (KU) IMSD program began, twelve minority students, including six American Indians, will have applied to graduate school. This is a continuation proposal to allow us to build on these successes. KU IMSD works in concert with other NIH funded programs (Bridge, RISE, IRACDA) and takes full advantage of the juxtaposition of a Research I Institution (KU) and one of the largest tribal colleges (Haskell Indian Nations University). KU IMSD consists of four components: 1) providing research experiences to American Indian and other minority students, with a particular a focus on recruiting Haskell students from the Bridge or RISE program; 2) enhancing and modifying the curriculum; 3) offering an interdisciplinary seminar series and 4) providing financial aid and mentoring. The undergraduate research experience takes a broad, interdisciplinary approach to placing students into one of 77 possible KU labs and includes opportunities for students to share their research results at local and national meetings. The program will also support several American Indian graduate students who have obtained BA's from Haskell. IMSD supported curricular enhancements that have shown remarkable results over the past three years will be continued for gatekeeper courses in biology, chemistry and math. In biology alone, the average grade point average of American Indian students who completed the introductory biology course has increased from 0.86 to 2.94 over the past six years. An integrative seminar series will bring together students from the IMSD, Bridge, and RISE programs to foster community and learning. Support from KU IMSD for undergraduate researchers will be a cornerstone in providing financial support along with KU scholarships targeted for American Indian students. Mentoring will be provided from faculty (research advisors), the IMSD Program Coordinator (individual and group meetings) and peers (other IMSD students). Evaluation and tracking procedures will allow for regular adjustment of activities during the course of the program and assessment of whether goals have been met. If funded for another four years, the KU/Haskell collaboration provides the opportunity to significantly impact the number of American Indian scientists in this country. ? ?
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