Typical institutional efforts to increase the number of racial/ethnic minority and disadvantaged college students (URMs) in the biomedical pipeline primarily focus on building research and professional development skills. Indeed, enhancing these skills will increase preparedness for graduate school. However, many URMs face additional barriers in pursuit of a neuroscience doctoral degree that are not addressed by conventional summer undergraduate research programs. To address this critical need, the goal of the Research Innovation in NeuroScience Education for Underserved Populations (RISE UP) summer research program at the University of Cincinnati is to provide a unique learning experience that combines both traditional and innovative approaches to inspire undergraduate URMs to pursue a career in neuroscience. We will accomplish this goal using the following methods: (1) an aggressive and focused effort to recruit 50 outstanding RISE UP summer scholars from around the country with an interest in neuroscience over the proposed funding period; (2) provide training in the essentials of research at the University of Cincinnati (e.g., responsible conduct of research/ethics training) and the fundamentals of neuroscience research; (3) create individualized research experiences in top-notch neuroscience laboratories that closely match their career interests; (4) design innovative seminars and workshops that strengthen academic and professional development to facilitate entry into neuroscience doctoral programs; (5) lead inspiring socio-emotional seminars and workshops that tap into and provide solutions for contemporary issues that URMs disproportionately face in pursuit of a neuroscience doctoral degree; (6) provide cultural competency and implicit bias training for the entire RISE UP community; (7) provide a two-pronged mentoring strategy that includes a RISE UP faculty mentor and a diversity ambassador; (8) ensure long-term investment in each RISE UP scholar that extends beyond the proposed summer funding period. Importantly, NINDS funding for the RISE UP program will supplement the strong financial support from the College of Medicine for diversity recruitment and inclusion in neuroscience education. Considering the current funding climate, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract, recruit, and retain students, especially URMs, in neuroscience, and innovative approaches are urgently needed to encourage and support historically underrepresented students to remain in the biomedical pipeline. Funding for the RISE UP program will allow us to do this by intervening early on in the educational pipeline to prepare our scholars for the academic and socio-emotional rigors of graduate school.
The Research Innovation in NeuroScience Education for Underserved Populations (RISE UP) program will support our efforts to equip outstanding undergraduate students from diverse and/or under-privileged backgrounds with research, professional, and social-emotional skills to thrive in cutting-edge neuroscience graduate programs. RISE UP scholars will be engaged in a rigorous summer program in neuroscience that will not only allow them to strengthen their research and professional development skills but will also address socio-emotional and cultural issues that may be unique to them. This innovative approach allows us to intervene early on in the educational pipeline and arm our undergraduate scholars with the necessary tools to adjust to the diverse rigors of graduate school.
