The University of California Riverside (UCR) is one of the most diverse campuses in the nation and is located in one of the most rapidly growing and diverse regions of the U.S. Most undergraduate students at UCR come from this region. Thus, there is a broad base of students from which to select and promote interest in a research career biomedically-related sciences. The main goal of the MARC U-STAR Program at UCR is to increase the number of underrepresented (UR) students pursuing PhD degrees and research careers in the biomedically-related sciences. This training grant provides a summer Pre-MARC Development Program (9-10 students/year) to increase the eligible pool of students for the 2-year Trainee Research Program (15 positions/year). The Objectives of the Program are: (1) Increase the number of UCR minority students majoring in the sciences who are qualified to become MARC U-STAR Trainees through outreach to local high schools and community colleges. (2) Increase the number of qualified Honors students who apply to the MARC Program by using freshman courses and discovery seminars, by synergizing with Honors and existing Minority programs on campus, and by engaging students in Pre-MARC undergraduate research before their sophomore year and stimulating their interest in a biomedical research career. (3) The core of the program is preparing the MARC Trainees for graduate studies in highly competitive research institutions. We will achieve this by immersing MARC Trainees in intensive cutting-edge research in laboratories of Faculty Mentors on campus during the academic year and in one other off-campus laboratory at a high-caliber research institution during one summer; we will also provide specific classes that will prepare the Trainees to think critically, to make scientific oral presentations, and to write scientific papers and research proposals. Guidance in applying to graduate programs will be provided. This will provide a solid basis for the trainees to enter and succeed in the most competitive graduate programs in the U.S. For the next 5-year period (2018-2023) we propose to train about 45 MARC students and to reach near 80% of graduated UCR Trainees entering high quality PhD or MD/PhD programs in the biomedical sciences. Relevance: This MARC U-STAR training grant will not only contribute to increase the number of Honors UR undergraduates who enter PhD Programs and continue on to scientific research careers and leadership positions, but should also have ripple effects that extend beyond this primary goal. The MARC Scholars will serve as role models in society and in the scientific community to inspire new generations and help break down discriminatory barriers.
The goal of the Program is to provide significant research training to underrepresented students in the sciences in order to help them successfully compete and enter high-quality PhD Programs in the biomedical-related sciences. The ultimate goal is to increase the number of underrepresented biomedical and behavioral scientists in leadership career positions that advance the health-related research needs of the nation. Our target outcome is to achieve 80% of our Trainees entering high-caliber PhD programs within 3 years of graduation.
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