Miami University's URM program will recruit 12 undergraduates each year for the next five years to provide the students with research and mentoring experience in order to prepare them for graduate school in the biological sciences. As a first step toward institutionalizing the program, NSF funds will be used to support each student for the first two years in the program, after which Miami University will provide support for an additional two years. Activities planned for academic, research and career enrichment will be offered to a larger group of students, especially those from underrepresented minority groups. The major goals of the URM program are to: (i) Increase the number of underrepresented minority students recruited into the biological sciences; (ii) Enhance the preparation of students to enable them to successfully enter and remain in graduate programs; and (iii) Build a better foundation at the institution for promoting interactions among academic, student support and administrative structures. The research programs of about 30 faculty across four departments (Biochemistry, Botany, Microbiology and Zoology) will provide students with a wide and diverse choice of projects, all under a unifying theme of "Signaling mechanisms and cellular responses". URM scholars will be exposed to a variety of model organisms, tools and techniques, and scholars' interest in a research career will be sustained and strengthened through enrichment activities and a strong mentoring component. More information about the program can be found at www.units.muohio.edu/urm_assure/.
