UNM MARC U*STAR ABSTRACT The University of New Mexico Maximizing Access to Research Careers Program (UNM MARC U*STAR) is a two-year program that integrates mentoring, research, and academics to train and prepare undergraduate honors students from underrepresented minorities (URM) to enter PhD programs (and ultimately careers) in biomedical research. Each year of the five-year grant, the MARC program will recruit eight scholars (for a total of 40 scholars) that are rising juniors in their respective degree programs. Students will receive academic advising and professional mentoring, instruction in critical thinking, writing skills, and responsible conduct in research, in addition to hands-on research experiences in biomedically-relevant fields, and direct assistance with their applications for admission to doctoral programs in the biomedical sciences. Each student will be part of an annual cohort (Pack) that is mentored by the Program Director, the Associate Director, and a graduate student advisor (Pack Leader). Specifically, the UNM MARC U*STAR goals are to: 1) Increase the number of students from biomedically- relevant majors applying to, academically prepared for, and involved in research programs as undergraduates; 2) Encourage URM students to enter graduate research degree programs. 3) Recruit and prepare MARC scholars for graduate school and research careers, through an integrated training program that will enhance their academic and research skills; 4) Diversify the degree program pool of MARC U*STAR Scholars by including students from the School of Engineering as well as the relevant departments (Biology, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, and UNM?s Schools of Medicine and Pharmacology) we have successfully recruited from in the past, while retaining the sense of common identity that was previously identified as a key to the success of our program. In addition, our program will contribute to the success of large numbers of undergraduate students at UNM through improvements in advising, curriculum, and dissemination of information about opportunities for undergraduate research. The goals of this program include elements that are continuations of those we have used successfully in the past, in addition to modifications that reflect scholar feedback and an effort to improve program outcomes overall. Evaluation of the MARC scholars, mentors, and pack leaders will be performed each year and student success will be followed after graduation to determine the success of each program element, to identify areas for improvement, and to provide information about successes and challenges for the program.
UNM MARC U*STAR NARRATIVE Over the next five years, the UNM MARC U*STAR program will prepare 40 ?blue chip? students from underrepresented minority students for PhD programs in the biomedical sciences. Our program will also advise hundreds of undergraduate students about the possibilities for pursuing research careers, thereby enhancing the curriculum at our University for all STEM students, As ours is a minority-majority state with ~20% of the population living under the poverty line, our MARC Scholars come from populations associated with significant health disparities (diabetes, cancer, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, and alcoholism) that afflict minorities and those in poverty, we will be training individuals who are highly motivated and skilled to carry out future research aimed at alleviating and curing these health disparities.
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