The goals of NSF URM program at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) are to increase the number of deaf and hard of hearing students performing undergraduate research and prepare them for graduate school in biology. Strong emphasis will be placed on early identification of potential students and their recruitment and retention in undergraduate research. A mentoring network consisting of Research Mentors, Peer Mentors, Facilitators and Alumni will provide regular contacts, provide academic support and promote the feelings of inclusion in the research community. Deaf and hard of hearing students who show the most promise for graduate school will be selected as URM Fellows and will participate in a two-year research project, receive an annual stipend for part time research during the academic year and full time research for one summer, funds for summer housing, travel and research supplies. Students will be able to choose from a wide variety of research projects in areas such as Evolutionary Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Virology, Immunology, Ecology, Biochemistry, Population Genetics, Bioinformatics, Biophotonics, Plant/Microbe Interactions, and Developmental Biology. The program will support the development of scientific communication skills that are necessary for success in graduate school through writing a research proposal, quarterly progress reports, preparing and presenting seminars and posters, presenting work at professional meetings and writing a final paper in journal format. URM Fellows will serve as Peer Mentors for younger students and participate in outreach activities. The program will support preparation for graduate school applications through individual faculty advising sessions and an Introduction to Graduate Studies course. For more information, contact Dr. Hyla Sweet at hxssbi@rit.edu or Dr. Dina Newman at dlnsbi@rit.edu. For additional information, visit www.rit.edu/cos/biology/urm.html
This Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (URM) project at Rochester Institute of Technology focused on recruiting and retaining Deaf and hard of hearing students in undergraduate research in the biological sciences and preparing the students for graduate school. Eleven deaf or hard of hearing students worked with faculty on undergraduate research projects that spanned 18 through 40 months in diverse areas such as biochemistry, environmental biology, developmental biology, immunology and virology. In addition to developing research and technical skills, students also developed communication skills through writing quarterly research updates and a final paper, and by preparing and delivering presentations and posters at local, regional and national scientific conferences. Surveys of the students indicate that they are very satisfied with the URM program and that some of them would not have considered research and graduate school if they had not participated. 77.8% of the students report that they are much more likely or extremely more likely to enroll in a masters or Ph.D. program because of their experiences in the URM program. Some of the highest gains self-reported by the URM participants are in thinking and working like a scientist and related gains such as confidence in their ability to contribute to science, ability to work independently, developing patience for the slow pace of research, understanding what everyday research work is like, and taking greater care in conducting procedures in the lab or field. Seven of the eleven URM participants are currently in graduate school and one is in medical school, which is significant progress towards the NSF URM program goal of increasing the diversity of students pursuing graduate studies in the biological sciences.
