URM: Mentoring Year-round in Biological Engineering, Science and Technology (MY BEST at University of California, Riverside)

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ABSTRACTThe NSF URM at the University of California-Riverside called MY BEST @ UCR (Mentoring Year-round in Biological Engineering, Science and Technology at University of California, Riverside) is a year-round program that will provide opportunities for undergraduate students majoring in science and engineering to participate in bioengineering research. This URM program will motivate the participating students to pursue graduate degrees in biological sciences and engineering. The broad goals of the program are to achieve greater numbers of students from underrepresented backgrounds pursuing PhDs and careers in the biological sciences and bioengineering, and to increase the diversity of the Nation's science and technology workforce. Students in the MY BEST @ UCR URM will develop increased enthusiasm and appreciation for their ability to perform research, have solid undergraduate research experiences as pathways for moving towards their advanced degrees in biological science and engineering, and substantially increase their interactions with and mentoring by nationally and internationally recognized faculty who do research in biological engineering in areas such as biosensor development, bacterial adhesion, microfluidics, transport phenomena, cell signaling, and cell electromechanics. The specific strategy of MY BEST @ UCR that allow us to achieve these goals is captured in its 6-part structure: 1) We utilize faculty participants to actively recruit potential MY BEST students; 2) Induct selected MY BEST student into our intensive eight-week summer internships in participating laboratories; 3) Extend the MY BEST student's research effort throughout the upcoming academic year; 4) Provide active and ongoing research mentoring of MY BEST students; 5) Provide opportunities for MY BEST students to participate in professional development workshops to assist them in preparing for the Graduate Records Exam (GRE), choosing a graduate program, and providing information on how to apply to graduate school; and, 6) Continuously evaluate the success of MY BEST students and use this information to improve the program. To learn more about MY BEST @ UCR please visit our website at www.engr.ucr.edu/mybest.