SMART Post-Baccalaureate Ph.D PREP Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The SMART PREP Scholars program at Baylor College of Medicine will provide educational opportunities to better prepare underrepresented minority (URM) college graduates to enter and succeed in biomedical related graduate programs and progress into biomedical research careers. The primary focus will be on participants who wish to matriculate into Ph.D. programs, but we will consider potentially competitive MD/Ph.D. candidates. Education will be enhanced by creating individual development plans for each PREP Scholar. It is anticipated that most Scholars will complete the program in one year, but there will be options for a second year with increasing intellectual development either repeating activities or progressing into more advanced courses. Participants will work 3/4 time as technicians and conduct research at the frontier of biomedical science. They will participate intellectually in the research through directed reading of scientific papers, in lab meetings, journal clubs and seminars that relate to their research interests. They will build their knowledge in molecular and cellular biology (MCB) through a specially designed course that emphasizes experimental approaches, quantitative skills, ethical decision making and the contributions of URM scientists. There are currently 48 URM Ph.D. and MD/Ph.D. students enrolled in BCM programs. These students will form a base of guest lecturers who will present a "research relevance" section for some of the MCB course topics. A GRE preparatory course, MCAT review (for potential MD/Ph/.D. candidates), graduate school application workshops, ethics and safety training and skills building workshops will provide additional training in a variety of skills needed to succeed as a scientist. Individual tutoring and instruction will be provided in English, math or physical sciences as needed. Faculty and graduate student mentoring and attending MERGE (URM student organization) meetings and scientific conferences will help inspire and motivate participants to strive for excellence as they become members of the scientific community. Evaluation tools will assess progress and performance of Scholars, mentors, staff and the impact of program components.