MARC at the University of Florida

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The proposed project addresses the problem of low diversity in biomedical and behavioral research by continuing and improving the University of Florida (UF) MARC program. The program will recruit 30 undergraduate trainees from underrepresented (UR) backgrounds and place them with NIH-funded faculty mentors for up to three years of continuous research mentorship within an integrated training environment. The overall program is designed to increase each trainee's technical, operational, and professional development skills for biomedical and behavioral research, promote each trainee's academic performance, and enhance each trainee's mental health and wellness, with the goal of increasing motivation and preparation for transitioning to a competitive PhD program. The program recruited its first trainee cohort in 2017 and appointed 17 trainees through 2020 (four more have been selected for 2021). All 12 trainees who have since graduated were accepted to competitive PhD programs (10) or directly entered the biomedical workforce (2). The program includes 15 undergraduate degree programs at UF in which ca. 3,300 students (30%) are from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups and ca. 1,000 (9%) are students with disabilities. The proposed MARC program has six measurable performance targets: 1) recruit 30 trainees (10 as rising sophomores and 20 as rising juniors), 2) at least 93% trainee retention, 3) 100% participation in an extramural research experience, 4) at least 93% 4-year graduation rate (5-yr for engineering majors), 5) at least 75% authorship on a research publication, and 6) at least 90% matriculation to a PhD or MD/PhD program within two years. The training plan includes continuous participation in research mentored by a faculty research mentor and an integrated curriculum of courses and activities. The proposed program includes three novel, innovative projects: development of two Data Science and Research Computing courses that provide training in biomedical applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning, biweekly trainee participation Mental Health & Wellness Process Groups led by senior psychiatry residents, and development of workshops to train graduate students and postdoctoral students in mentoring undergraduates in research environments. Resources from these novel projects will be open and exportable. Program outcomes will be continuously monitored, and adjustments made whenever indicated.