This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Francis Marion University (FMU) is a state-supported University located in Florence, SC, which is rapidly transitioning from a teaching-only institution to a paradigm were research is an integral part of faculty activities and research training a vital component of undergraduate education. The Biomedical Research Enhancement Program (BREP) at FMU will revolve around 2 research projects, headed each by a target faculty, in collaboration with faculty at USC Columbia, and will have a strong emphasis on involvement of undergraduate students in all aspects of the research, with six students receiving research training each year in the laboratories of the target faculty and their collaborators, both during the semester and in the Summer. Undergraduate research experience is an integral part of the BREP plan at FMU. Each semester 6 undergraduates will be awarded BREP fellowships of $1000. The BREP fellows will be supervised by target faculty and will participate in intensive research experience during the semester. Fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis and fellow selected by a committee of Drs Eaton, Malaiyandi and one other biology faculty. Fellows will have weekly lab meetings where current projects and literature is discussed. At least once per semester Fellows will travel to Columbia to meet with USC collaborators, Drs. Mott and Reisman and to interact with lab personnel. During the summer, 6 undergraduates will receive stipends for 6 weeks full time to participate in BREP summer research. Students will alternate between the lab at FMU and the collaborating lab at USC. FMU students will interact with undergraduates and graduate students at USC. Students in the summer program will be expected to produce a poster or presentation to be presented at a scientific meeting, including the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) as appropriate. The biology department at FMU already has an annual PURE symposium (Program for Undergraduate Research Experience) for undergraduates to present research. Beyond this, students will go to the SC Academy of Science Annual meeting, SYNAPSE (Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast), and/or the Georgia and South Carolina Neuroscience Consortium or equivalent meeting. FMU's Women and Minorities in Science program will provide summer stipends for 3 additional BREP students, complementing INBRE funding. The large pool of minority students at FMU offers an opportunity for BREP to increase African American students'interest in biomedical research. FMU is a diverse campus with 43% of students identified as Black Non-Hispanic, 51% White Non-Hispanic and 6% as others. Student affairs have a full-time Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs to maintain an atmosphere on campus that is welcoming to all students. The coordinator takes advice from the Multicultural Advisory board made up of faculty staff and students to organize cultural and diverse programming. The employees at FMU established an African-American Faculty and Staff Coalition (AAFSC) in 1995 that meets regularly and raises money for student scholarships. The FMU Foundation and the University have each matched funds, dollar for dollar, raised for scholarships for African American students. In the past 5 years there have been an average of 12 scholarships each semester with 15 scholarships being offered in Fall 2009. Twelve Scholarships are also offered to minority students with financial needs through the SC Access and Equity program. All faculty vacancies are listed with HigherEdJobs.com and the National Minority Faculty ID Program to encourage applications from minorities. HigherEdJobs.com are instructed to email applicants who request job listings from colleges and universities that are actively recruiting in accordance with affirmative action plans. Part-time faculty positions are also posted in a local paper that covers minority issues.
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