California State University, Northridge (CSUN) proposes to establish an MBRS-RISE program to improve the participation of minorities in biomedical research careers. We have proposed a program with three developmental activities: one at the undergraduate level, another for MS-level students and one for faculty. We expect that early advisement, early intervention, development of basic skills in communication, critical thinking, mathematics, a strong curriculum and the opportunity to participate in a research project will result in: an increase in RISE eligible students, a 100% graduation rate of the participants, with an end result of 60% of our program's undergraduates entering Ph.D. programs in biomedically-relevant fields. We expect that early advisement, strong mentoring, and participating in the collaborative arrangements between CSUN and eight Ph.D. granting institutions will result in 95% of the program's students completing the MS and 80% entering Ph.D. programs. Faculty will be provided with workshops to improve their mentoring skills, with opportunities to participate in summer research at research-intensive universities and workshops that will help them prepare competitive research proposals. We expect that 70% of the faculty will be rated as satisfactory or higher by their mentees and that 90% of the MBRS faculty will apply for an NSF RUI, SCORE or other extra-mural program. Outcomes from all these activities will prepare students for entry into competitive research programs, help them persist to earn the Ph.D., and finally, will enable this program to make significant strides towards increasing minority participation in science.
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