An award has been made to Central Michigan University (CMU) Department of Biology to establish an Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (URM) program, titled Biology Undergraduate Mentoring Program (BUMP). A cohort of five students will be recruited in each of the first three years of the grant. Over a four-year grant period, a total of 15 students will be trained in the program. BUMP is designed to develop a community of undergraduates from historically underrepresented groups and engage these students in high-quality research projects directly mentored by faculty. Students will begin the program in the summer after their freshman or sophomore year, and will be supported for two calendar years. BUMP will form partnerships with urban Michigan high schools and with the local two-year Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College to recruit students from primarily two underrepresented minority groups: African-Americans and Native Americans. Students selected for BUMP will be assigned three mentors: a Faculty Mentor who will act as their academic advisor, a Peer Mentor, and a Research Mentor. At least twenty-seven faculty within the Department of Biology have agreed to serve as potential Research Mentors, and these faculty members are dedicated to both teaching and research. BUMP students will have a broad array of biological research areas to choose from and will be encouraged to tailor their research pursuits to an area that fits their individual interests. Areas of potential research range from cellular and molecular biology to ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. In addition to the research experiences, students will take seminar courses to introduce them to careers in biological research, to develop skills in experimental design, to develop scientific communication skills, to prepare for the GRE, and to successfully apply to graduate school. For more information, contact Dr. Cynthia Damer at damer1ck@cmich.edu or Dr. Anna Monfils at monfi1ak@cmich.edu, or visit http://BUMPResearch.bio.cmich.edu.
