A Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Neuroscience at an HBCU

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A Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Neuroscience at an HBCU - This proposal is for a renewal of our R25 grant supporting a summer undergraduate research program in neuroscience. The organizing center of our undergraduate research program is the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, an interdisciplinary, inter- institutional, virtual Center now in its 8th year of support from a Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant from NIGMS. At Delaware State University (DSU), 12 externally funded faculty investigators are affiliated with Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, and another 14 affiliated faculty at the University of Delaware (UD) take part in Center-sponsored meetings, retreats, symposia and professional development workshops. The undergraduate researchers in our Summer Undergraduate Neuroscience Research Program (SUN-R) program is part of the Center for Neuroscience Research, carrying out research projects with affiliated faculty and participating in Center activities and professional development opportunities. Our project targets students from DSU and other nearby colleges and universities that serve large minority populations. This will allow us to recruit a diverse group of students and maintain them as part of a supportive, research- focused community beyond the length of the 10-week summer program. As an Historically Black University in which almost 80% of undergraduates are members of under-represented groups and about 65% are African-American, DSU is well-positioned to provide a supportive environment for under-represented students. Our partner schools include: Wesley College, a liberal arts college just 3 miles from DSU which has an undergraduate enrollment that is approximately 50% minority; the Delaware Technical and Community College (DTCC), which has an enrollment in which 36% of the students are from underrepresented groups; and Widener University in just over the state line from Delaware in Chester, Pennsylvania with about 25% underrepresented students. Focusing on students attending institutions within our small state and nearby allows us to keep our SUN-R scholars involved in our Neuroscience Center after the end of the summer program. Students in our program participate in a 10-week summer research experience working with faculty members affiliated with the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, they are engaged in weekly professional development sessions and biweekly “Think Like a Scientist” sessions designed to develop students’ scientific literacy and skills at problems solving and reading scientific articles. After the summer program many students participate in Neuroscience Center-sponsored seminars, retreats, symposia and professional development opportunities through the summer and the following academic year. In the first four years of our program over 66% of our 56 participants were members of groups under- represented in STEM. Of the 54 students who completed our summer program, 30 have graduated with a BS degree, 9 have gone on to MS or PhD programs in STEM, and 23 are still pursuing STEM BS degrees. Our program combining a high quality research experience with participation in a neuroscience-focused community and skill-building activities has helped to build participants’ preparation and enthusiasm for graduating with a STEM BS degree and pursuing a PhD in areas related to biomedical and behavioral research. A five-year renewal will allow us to continue that success.