Cal State Fullerton MARC U*STAR Program

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Cal State Fullerton MARC U-STAR Program proposes to support 14 promising students each year from underrepresented groups, who are majoring in a STEM field, and prepare them for graduate school and a research career in biomedical or behavioral science. The success of the Program will be measured in the short term by Scholar enrollment and retention in doctoral programs at respected U.S. universities and in the long term by their progress toward, and eventual entry into, research-oriented careers. Over the course of the funding period, we propose to have 75% of all Scholars enter high-quality doctoral programs. The short-term goals are to: 1) recruit, select and retain well-qualified students, 2) develop MARC Scholars' skills for conducting scientific research, 3) improve MARC Scholars' written and oral communication skills, 4) prepare MARC Scholars academically for PhD or MD/PhD programs, 5) develop in MARC Scholars an understanding and appreciation of professional integrity issues encountered during a research career, 6) provide MARC Scholars with personalized career and academic advisement, and 7) prepare MARC Scholars for the demands of a research career. Many of these goals will be met as Scholars participate in laboratory research with a faculty mentor that culminates with the defense of a written thesis and as they excel in academically- challenging courses, including one-semester-long Research Ethics and Scientific Writing courses, a four- semester MARC Pro-seminar series, which focuses on Scholar development, and a proposed four-semester Scientific Communication Workshop series. New and redesigned seminars will be developed to enhance professional growth and improve quantitative, critical thinking and standardized test taking skills, as well as oral and written communication. Scholars will also participate in a Summer Boot Camp when first admitted to the program, and be mentored by MARC scholar alumni. To measure our short-term progress, the Program will use specially developed assessment tools, forms, and e-journal entries. The mentors, seminar instructors and Program Director will complete the forms, and the Scholars will create the e-journals. On a yearly basis, all MARC Scholars will be expected to improve to, or achieve at, Level 4-5 (scale 1-5) in laboratory performance, scientific skills, and oral and written communication abilities, so that by the end of their two-year participation in the Program they have shown improvement, or high achievement, in at least 75% of the measurable objectives. To measure long-term success, the Program will track all MARC graduates by e-mail or phone as they progress towards their PhD degrees and beyond. The Cal State Fullerton MARC U-STAR Program will not only contribute to the success of the participating MARC Scholars in their research careers, but will have a broader impact on the participating departments and colleges at our institution via the enhancement of curricula and by strengthening the student research environment.