This is a proposal for the first competitive renewal for funding of The University of Mississippi's Biomedical Research Internship Program (BRIP) via the NIGMS's Initiative for Minority Student Development (IMSD) program. This IMSD program was designed to strengthen and expand The University's ability to champion the achievements of talented minority students in a new and challenging ways. The University of Mississippi is dedicated to expanding its commitment and support for minorities and women, especially African Americans. Our first four years of participation in the NIH-NIGMS's IMSD program has already begun to contribute to The University's capacity to address the needs of Mississippi and the nation, by tapping into the talents of minority and female students throughout the state and region. The BRIP project has provided them with the educational framework to develop into state, regional and national leaders in the biomedical sciences. The BRIP project is multifaceted program that extends from high school students and their teachers, to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in the biomedical sciences.
Our specific aim for the first four year period of IMSD funding was the recruitment of two minority into one of the four basic pharmaceutical science graduate programs at the University of Mississippi's School of Pharmacy (Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacognosy). In each subsequent year of funding an additional two students would be incorporated into the BRIP project. In addition, each year three minority undergraduate students were to be recruited to spend a one-year research internship in the laboratories of a biomedical researcher in the School of Pharmacy. Since our graduate student/advisor ratios (1:3 or smaller) are relatively small, it was predicted that at least 75% of the students entering into the proposed program would graduate and become of members of the biomedical research community. Within this proposal for continuation of IMSD funding, we will describe goals/aims met, lessons learned, and strategies to make this program even more successful. The proposed project decreases the total number of minority graduate student stipend in years 1 and 2 to six stipends per year, increases the number of undergraduate stipends to eight stipends per year, and increases the salary request for a half-time program coordinator.
