Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support for junior faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who need to re-direct and re-build a research program. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at the researcher's home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences.
St. Augustine's University's RIA establishes a research program for undergraduates that aims to attract, support and retain primarily underrepresented minority students majoring in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discipline who are interested in a pursuing a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline and a subsequent career in STEM research. The program goals are to: 1) expose students to cutting-edge bench research beyond summer internships 2) better prepare students for the rigors of graduate studies and 3) increase the number of underrepresented minorities, who elect and are well-prepared to pursue advanced degrees and careers in the STEM fields. Although not limited to, the project targets students at the institution who are majoring primarily in biology.
The experiments/research are designed to examine Drosophila midline and trachea gene expression at several levels and to understand how specific gene regulatory interactions combine to generate different cells in the CNS midline. More specifically, the experiments provide insight into how neurons and glia are generated during development, including understanding the basic processes of neuron-glia interactions, and control of gene expression and CNS development. These experiments will provide a platform to learn about these basic processes at the undergraduate level. Knowledge gained from these activities can readily be incorporated into undergraduate courses such as molecular cell biology and genetics, and trachea.
The project promotes undergraduate student interest in high demand specializations in STEM, particularly in the biological sciences. It supports a larger STEM initiative that seeks to increase and strengthen partnerships, networks and collaborations between HBCU and mainstream universities, state and regional research laboratories, USDA and other STEM research-related enterprises in efforts to increase the numbers of underrepresented groups that enter and remain in the STEM pipeline. Through this project, students have the opportunity to successfully complete their baccalaureate degrees, engage in cutting-edge bench research and to pursue graduate programs or enter careers in a broader range of science-related fields that will meet the local, regional, national and global workforce needs. Additionally, this project serves as a model for creating and adapting successful activities for other minority-serving institutions seeking to promote undergraduate research programs in STEM.
