University of Puerto Rico at Cayey-RISE Program

描述（由申请人提供）：为了改善我们的整体学术环境，MBRS计划于1985年启动，旨在培养UPRC学生成为科学家。作为这个长期目标的一部分，我们在这个申请中建议通过专注于学生的技能发展来改进和扩展我们的RISE项目。这些变化将由与活动协调员、项目主管和RISE咨询委员会合作的外部评估人员进行评估，并对每个组成部分进行监控。RISE项目通过提供三个组成部分：访问科学家、实践研究和暑期研究，解决了三个需求：1 .缺乏意识；2 .缺乏研究经验；3 .英语语言技能有限。所有组件都满足需求。来访的科学家用英语举办研讨会和讲习班，以提高学生对新技术和新发现以及新的科学事业的认识，并作为榜样。动手教师导师提供长达一学期的研究经验和研讨会。这两项活动都是为激励和培养成为科学家所需的技能而量身定制的。这个部分有校内和岛上的导师在学生的头两年与他们一起工作，为他们提供咨询，保持他们的兴趣并专注于他们的目标。在这两年的时间里，学生将与五位不同的导师一起学习实验设计的基础和相关技术，包括分子生物学、细胞生物学、遗传学、组织学等。最后，暑期研究允许二年级，三年级和四年级的学生通过在研究密集型机构与岛外科学家一起工作十周来体验研究生生活。每个组成部分使学生和教师能够通过与不同的专家小组互动来发展基本的研究技能：1)校内教师导师，2)位于选定附属机构的岛上研究导师，3)来自岛外大学的访问科学家，以及4)位于合作机构的科学家。每个组成部分都对学生提出了挑战，因为他们利用适当的环境和专业水平来培养将成为生物医学研究科学家的UPRC校友。目前，32%的MBRS毕业生（226人）正在攻读博士学位（46人，%=20人）或硕士学位（28人，%=12人）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): To improve our overall academic environment, the MBRS program was initiated in 1985 to prepare UPRC students to become scientists. As part of this long term goal, we are proposing in this application to improve and expand our RISE program by concentrating on student skill development. These changes will be assessed and each component monitored by an external evaluator working with the activity coordinators, the program director, and the RISE Advisory Committee. The RISE program addresses three needs, 1-lack of awareness, 2-lack of research experience, and 3-limited English language skills, by offering three components: visiting scientists, hands-on research, and summer research. All components address the needs. Visiting scientists present seminars and workshops in English to improve student awareness of new techniques and discoveries, of new science careers, and to serve as role models. Hands-on faculty mentors offer semester long research experiences and workshops. Both activities are tailored to motivate and build the skills needed to be scientists. This component has on-campus and on-island mentors working with students during their first two years to counsel, to maintain their interests and focus their goals. During this two year period students will work with five different mentors learning the bases of experimental design and the associated techniques in molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, histology, etc. Finally, summer research allows sophomores, juniors and seniors to experience graduate school life by working for ten weeks with off-island scientists at research intensive institutions. Each component enables students and faculty to develop basic research skills by interacting with a different group of experts: 1) on-campus faculty mentors, 2) on-island research mentors located at selected affiliated institutions, 3) visiting scientists from off-island universities, and 4) scientists located in collaborating institutions. Each component challenges the students as they develop utilizing the appropriate environment and level of expertise to produce UPRC alumni who will be biomedical research scientists. Currently 32% of all MBRS graduates (n=226) are pursuing either a Ph.D. (n=46, %=20) or an M.S. degree (n=28, %=12).