URM: The RIT Undergraduate Research Diversity Initiative: Increasing Participation of Deaf and AALANA Students in the Research Scholars Program

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The goals of NSF URM program at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) are to increase the number of deaf and hard of hearing students performing undergraduate research and prepare them for graduate school in biology. Strong emphasis will be placed on early identification of potential students and their recruitment and retention in undergraduate research. A mentoring network consisting of Research Mentors, Peer Mentors, Facilitators and Alumni will provide regular contacts, provide academic support and promote the feelings of inclusion in the research community. Deaf and hard of hearing students who show the most promise for graduate school will be selected as URM Fellows and will participate in a two-year research project, receive an annual stipend for part time research during the academic year and full time research for one summer, funds for summer housing, travel and research supplies. Students will be able to choose from a wide variety of research projects in areas such as Evolutionary Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Virology, Immunology, Ecology, Biochemistry, Population Genetics, Bioinformatics, Biophotonics, Plant/Microbe Interactions, and Developmental Biology. The program will support the development of scientific communication skills that are necessary for success in graduate school through writing a research proposal, quarterly progress reports, preparing and presenting seminars and posters, presenting work at professional meetings and writing a final paper in journal format. URM Fellows will serve as Peer Mentors for younger students and participate in outreach activities. The program will support preparation for graduate school applications through individual faculty advising sessions and an Introduction to Graduate Studies course. For more information, contact Dr. Hyla Sweet at hxssbi@rit.edu or Dr. Dina Newman at dlnsbi@rit.edu. For additional information, visit http://www.rit.edu/cos/biology/urm.html