South Carolina Initiative for Minority Student Development

描述（由申请人提供）：提议的南加州大学IMSD项目的本科部分将寻求建立在我们已经存在的项目的基础上，为未被充分代表的少数民族（URM）学生提供更广泛的生物医学研究机会，而不是在单个本科生夏季实验室轮转中获得的机会。IMSD项目将为少数民族学生提供在生物医学研究实验室担任研究助理两到三年的机会，同时为研究生院做准备，从而提高合格的URM申请者进入我们的研究生项目的水平。在导师的强烈推荐下完成南加州大学IMSD课程的本科部分，并且本科GPA达到3.0或更高的学生将被保证进入南加州大学生物医学科学研究生课程之一。合作的hbcu将为我们的研究生项目和南加州大学预科项目提供额外的申请人。IMSD本科生，完成预科课程的学生，以及来自hbcu的合格学生将提供南加州大学IMSD研究生课程的核心。IMSD研究生项目将于7月开始研究生过渡项目，以便IMSD学生为8月开始的研究生课程工作做好充分准备。此外，IMSD项目将在研究生项目的第一年为参与者提供研究生研究助理奖学金，并在研究生培训期间为他们支付长达4年的学费。南加州大学IMSD项目的具体目标是：(1)招募合格的少数民族本科生，在其本科生涯的剩余时间内参与资助的生物医学研究项目。(2)通过与一名教师、一名研究生或博士后建立指导关系，作为本科生研究助理，提高IMSD参与者的研究技能。(3)帮助学生在南加州大学和其他研究界的同行和教师之间建立关系，使学生有明确的职业目标和帮助他们实现目标的支持系统。(4)提供南加州大学本科理科项目和合作hbcu向南加州大学生物医学研究生项目的顺利过渡。这项计划的成功将增加从事生物医学研究的科学家的多样性。这种增加的多样性将为研究问题提供更平衡的观点，并有助于纠正健康差异的解决办法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The undergraduate component of the proposed USC IMSD program will seek to build on our already existing programs by offering underrepresented minority (URM) students a more extensive exposure to biomedical research than can be obtained during a single undergraduate summer laboratory rotation. The IMSD program will increase the level of qualified URM applicants to our graduate programs by offering minority students the opportunity to work as research assistants for two or three years in biomedical research laboratories while preparing for Graduate School. Students who complete the undergraduate portion of the USC IMSD program with a strong recommendation from their mentor and who have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher will be guaranteed admission into one of the graduate programs in the biomedical sciences at USC. The cooperating HBCUs will provide additional applicants to our graduate programs and to the USC PREP program. The IMSD undergraduates, students completing the PREP program, and well qualified students from the HBCUs will provide the core of the USC IMSD graduate program. The IMSD graduate program will begin with a graduate transition program in July so that the IMSD students are fully prepared for the start of their graduate course work in August. In addition, the IMSD program will provide participants with a graduate research assistantship during the first year of their graduate program and will pay their tuition for up to 4 years during their graduate training. The specific goals of the USC IMSD program are: (1) To recruit qualified underrepresented minority undergraduates to participate in funded biomedical research programs throughout the remainder of their undergraduate careers. (2) To improve research skills of IMSD participants through work as undergraduate research assistants in mentored relationships with both a faculty member and a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. (3) To help the students establish relationships among peers and faculty at USC and elsewhere in the research community so that the students have well-defined career goals and a support system that helps them achieve their goals. (4) To provide a smooth transition from undergraduate science programs at USC and the cooperating HBCUs to biomedical graduate programs at USC. The success of this program will increase the diversity of scientists with careers in biomedical research. This increased diversity will provide a more balanced perspective on research issues and contribute toward solutions for the correction of health disparities.