We propose to continue a program to involve undergraduate students from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds in a summer research experience in biomedical research laboratories at Brown Medical School. The core of the program is a 9-week summer research project in a research laboratory, under the supervision of an accomplished Brown faculty member. The program has been on-going since 1992, with a previous focus on students of under-represented minority backgrounds. The Brown Short Term Research Program, funded by the NHLBI as a T35 grant, has been successful in recruiting and engaging students of diverse backgrounds and from diverse geographic areas and undergraduate institutions. In this renewal application, we propose increasing the number of students to a total of 15 per summer. We propose to expand the criteria for student eligibility to include individuals from underrepresented minority or ethnic groups;from disadvantaged backgrounds;from social, cultural, or educational backgrounds that prevent participation in a research career;or with disabilities. The Brown Short Term Training Program works in collaboration with the Leadership Alliance, a consortium of colleges and universities that aims to develop outstanding leaders in academia. In conjunction with the Brown Summer Research/Early Identification Program (SR-EIP), students are matched with a research faculty member and are provided with an outstanding research experience, supplemented by other academic and non-academic activities. These activities include weekly research seminars, field trips, and two poster symposia in which research results are presented at the end of the summer research program. Faculty members are from a variety of departments and are located either on the main Brown Medical School campus or at nearby affiliated teaching hospitals. Faculty are chosen on the basis of the excellence of their research, commitment to teaching, and commitment to and enthusiasm for this program. We present results of our previous experience, showing that 51% of students in the past 10 years have gone on to advanced degree programs in biomedical related fields.
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