The proposed MARC U*STAR program at Delaware State University (DSU) is designed to a) identify academically talented minority honor students, freshman, sophomore (PreMARC trainees) and junior, senior (MARC trainees) who are biology, chemistry, physics/engineering, and psychology majors at DSU, b) inform them of their opportunity to consider a career in biomedical research, c) assist them to academically prepare for admission to a graduate program leading to a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degree, d) help them to select a graduate school appropriate to their academic interest and e) follow up on their progress in graduate school. This will be accomplished by carefully planned sequence of activities which are: 1) second semester freshman at DSU who earned an A grade in the science courses, have interest in the science, recommended by the MARC mentors will be selected as PreMARC trainees. During their tenure as undergraduate, freshman, sophomore (PreMARC trainees) and junior, senior (MARC trainees), at DSU, they will a) receive extensive tutoring, mentoring as needed, b) extramural research experience for 3 successive summers, c) formally present their research at scientific meetings, d) GRE practice, e) acquire basic and advanced computer skills, f) assisted during their senior year to apply for several graduate schools, follow up on the status of applications until each is awarded an acceptance with full financial support, g) after being admitted to graduate school, follow up on their progress. 2) Initiation of Collaboration via seminar/workshops series with a selected group of graduate institutions to a) facilitate acceptance of DSU MARC trainees in these graduate schools, b) to provide them with mentoring and graduate academic advisement until they successfully complete the Ph.D. As a consequence of these well organized sequence of activities, which we followed during this current grant period, all DSU MARC graduates who were supported during this current period are enrolled in prestigious graduate schools and receiving full financial support. These are the guidelines we will follow during the next grant period. Support is requested for 12 MARC trainees/year, and for the academic development and training of 18-25 PreMARC trainees/year. Renewal request is for 5-year duration.
