This is an application for an Administrative Supplement to the University of Maryland Baltimore County ?s (UMBC) Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) grant to purchase for UMBC U-RISE scholars a software site license for LabArchives? electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) and the computer tablets required to run the software. This initiative will enhance our U- RISE undergraduates? biomedical research training by adding instruction in the use of ELNs, the laboratory notebook of the 21st century. UMBC is a young (founded in 1966), mid-size public research university with an enrollment of 13,767 students. UMBC has developed from a commuter campus into a strong public research university whose vision ?redefines excellence in higher education through an inclusive culture that connects innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement? (UMBC Mission Statement). It has built a reputation as a national ?powerhouse in fostering diversity in the sciences? (Keeley, J. 2014). A key component contributing to this strength has been UMBC?s partnership with NIH/NIGMS to provide academic research training programs for underrepresented groups (URGs) via the MARC U*STAR Program (Maximizing Access to Research Careers Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research), from 1997 ? 2020, and the U-RISE Program (funded 4/2020). In its 23 years of operation, the MARC U*STAR Program trained over 450 undergraduates with 66% enrolling in Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs. Almost 150 of the program alumni have earned a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. to date. The new U-RISE Program incorporates the successful elements of UMBC?s MARC U*STAR Program, as well as, new innovative additions such as a unit on rigor and reproducibility and a mentor training workshop that reflect the evolving nature of biomedical sciences and the imperative to meet the needs of URG students. This supplement aims to add another innovative element to the research-training environment for UMBC?s U-RISE Scholars, augmenting their technical, operational and professional development.
The goal of U-RISE at UMBC is to develop a diverse pool of undergraduates, prioritizing underrepresented races and ethnicities, students with disabilities, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who complete their baccalaureate degree, and transition into and complete biomedical, research-focused, higher-degree programs (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.), and pursue biomedical research careers. Increasing diverse perspectives within the biomedical research workforce will maximize potential for complex scientific problem-solving. The program will provide a combination of activities to ensure: (i) excellence in academic science, (ii) adapting to the intensity of contemporary scientific research, (iii) student interest in pursuing a Ph.D. degree and subsequent career in biomedical research, (iv) selection of graduate school and successful completed applications, and (v) a value placed on student mental health and wellness amongst the rigor.
