The primary purpose of the proposed MARC Undergraduate Student in Academic Research Program (U*STAR) at Alcorn State University is to increase the number of well prepared minority students entering graduate programs which lead to the Ph.D. degree in the biomedical sciences. The program will involve six undergraduate students at the junior and senior levels. Essentially, each U*STAR student will be exposed to state-of-the-art research facilities, research equipment, and laboratory techniques and receive mentoring by qualified research scientists. This will occur through intramural programs conducted at ASU during the academic year and extramural summer research activities conducted at external research sites, which will be either graduate schools, government research facilities or private industry. Students will also increase their academic preparation through computer supplementation of basic courses in their respective majors. The student will participate in an honors seminar and journal club to ensure that they are able to read, interpret, evaluate, write, and orally present scientific information. Finally, MARC U*STAR students will participate in a structured Graduate Record Examination (GRE) tutorial program to enhance their test-taking skills and review essential cognitive material needed to score well on this test. An essential component of the program will be to establish a conducive mentorship between MARC students and their preceptors. This will provide proper role models, academic advisement, career planning, and the academic preparation necessary to develop successful graduate students. All students will acquire a clear understanding of the principle of Responsible Conduct of Research through taking Research Ethics BI 358 & 458. Principal evaluation efforts will he directed toward assessing project objectives as they relate to proposed activities. The project will implement an extensive data collection plan, tracking system, evaluation measures, and data analysis.
