Old Dominion University (ODU) is a research intensive university located in Southeastern Virginia. It enrolls about 20,000 undergraduate (UG) students with approximately 33% from underrepresented minority (URM) groups including a large number in the departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, and Psychology. The ODU MARC program proposes to address the critical issue of low enrollment of URM students in Ph.D. programs after graduation. This program will be the first at ODU: (i) for broadening participation in STEM fields that is NIH-funded; (ii) that specifically targets to increase URM UG students in STEM research; and (iii) that specifically targets increasing the number of URM UG students who go onto doctoral programs and careers in biomedical/behavioral sciences research. The specific program aims are: (a) to build a strong pool of potential MARC trainees (pre-MARC students) in the ODU MARC departments to enhance their education and to improve their awareness of research careers, opportunities, and pathways in STEM disciplines and (b) to implement a research training program for URM juniors and seniors. The program is characterized by: (1) sustained faculty research mentoring and academic advisement, (2) thorough training in responsible conduct of research, (3) exposure to and training in quantitative/computational skills needed for admission to competitive graduate Ph.D. programs, (4) engagement in ODU faculty research programs throughout the junior and senior academic years, and (5) participation in an intensive summer research program with external biomedical and behavioral research collaborators. The program includes an extensive set of pre-MARC activities for freshmen and sophomores to prepare then to enter the MARC program. Apart from intensive research training, MARC trainee activities will include advanced instruction in software, programming, and laboratory equipment, critical thinking, literature analysis, writing skills, GRE preparation, graduate school preparation, and how to successfully compete for graduate fellowship targeted specifically toward application to biomedical and behavioral Ph.D. programs. MARC trainees will also receive intensive training in presentation skills and scientific writing, ultimately resulting in presentation of their work at national conferences, as well as submission of manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals. MARC trainees will perform their research in the laboratories of ODU mentors, as well as in laboratories of external collaborators. Strong institutional support for the ODU MARC program is demonstrated through the letters of support from the Provost, the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Dean of the College of Sciences, and Chairs of MARC departments, with significant financial commitment from the institution to maximize the chances of success of the program. The Program Director will share administrative leadership responsibilities with a Co-Director, the Director of Undergraduate Research, and three additional departmental liaison faculty members and will benefit from the oversight and feedback from a well-constituted Advisory Committee.
The goal of our proposal is to increase the diversity of students pursuing a Ph.D. in a STEM field and a research career in biomedical and behavioral research . To achieve this goal, we have developed a series of activities for high achieving underrepresented students; activities that are designed to facilitate the development of their talent and professional skills in preparation for excelling in their subsequent Ph.D. or Ph.D./M.D. programs and careers in science areas that have biomedical and behavioral relevance, while contributing to our understanding of minority health disparities and other key issues.
