The goal of the MARC U*STAR Program is to increase the number of minority college graduates that pursue advanced degrees (Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D.) leading to careers in biomedical research. Participants will be honor students (3.0 GPA or better) majoring in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics or psychology who plan to pursue a career in biomedical research. The Atlanta University Center MARC-U*STAR Trainees will be selected at the end of the sophomore year from the three participating institutions (Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College). Applicants with enhanced quantitative backgrounds will be given priority by the Selection Committee. A major component of the Program is the activities designed to enhance the curriculum for the Trainees. During the post-sophomore year, the Trainees will either enroll in Biomedical Experimentation 315, an introduction to biomedical research, or participate in an external research experience. During the fall of the junior year, the Trainees will take the MARC Seminar and select a research advisor to begin research for the Senior Thesis. During the post-junior summer, the Trainees are required to participate in an external research experience. In the senior year, the Trainees will enroll in the MARC Seminar, complete a Senior Research Thesis and present the research in a Senior Symposium. All Trainees will be required to present their research at a national or regional research symposium. Trainees will also be required to take a diagnostic GRE and develop a study plan to enhance their performance on the GRE including the participation in a GRE course, if necessary. Scientists, including former MARC U*STAR Trainees, will be invited to present their research and assist students in their career choices. A significant addition in this renewal submission is the partnership formed between the Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissue and the AUC MARC U*STAR Program. This partnership will provide an excellent resource for the Trainees majoring in biomedical engineering. Support for twenty-eight (28) Trainees is requested for each of the five (5) years.
| Askew, Alicia; Gonzalez, Fernando A; Stahl, Jeanne M et al. (2006) Food competition and social experience effects on V1a receptor binding in the forebrain of male Long-Evans hooded rats. Horm Behav 49:328-36 |
