NCCU-WFU BIOMEDICAL BRIDGE TO THE Ph.D. PARTNERSHIP

描述（由申请人提供）：这是北卡罗来纳中央大学（NCCU）硕士和维克森林大学（WFU）博士项目之间生物医学科学博士研究生培训合作伙伴关系的第一个竞争性延续。在第一个资助周期中，我们在NCCU建立了一个项目，以支持四到六名生物学硕士学生（特别是心血管和神经药理学研究），并成功地将我们的第一个桥式生物学硕士毕业生送到了WFU生理学和药理学博士项目。我们现在提出了一个目标，即在这两个合作院校扩大学习的学科，并建立机制，促进学生在两个阶段的学术培训之间的平稳过渡。目标1提议扩大NCCU的项目，让学生参与到NCCU正在开发的越来越多的研究学科中。这将在ncccu化学硕士课程中正式开设生物化学辅修课程，并在癌症生物学，生物信息学和生物处理方面开发高级研究生课程。目标2建议扩大WFU的参与项目。这将包括在生物化学，癌症生物学，神经科学，分子和细胞病理生物学建立良好的博士课程。目标3建议加强学生向博士阶段的过渡。这将通过促进学生参与NCCU和专业社会项目来实现，这些项目可以培养学生的研究沟通技巧，通过在WFU为学生在硕士阶段完成的学生提供研究轮转模块来实现。并通过继续发展两所大学教师之间的研究合作，促进学生在进入博士阶段的培训之前与博士机构的研究人员进行互动。在下一个资助周期中，我们希望能够支持六名硕士学生完成两到三年的硕士研究生研究助理学费，每年派遣两名博士指导的本科生到WFU进行密集的夏季研究体验，并支持每个学生前往专业协会会议展示他们的工作。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is the first competitive continuation of a Bridge to the Ph.D. graduate training partnership in the biomedical sciences between North Carolina Central University (NCCU) M.S. and Wake Forest University (WFU) Ph.D. programs. In the first cycle of funding, we built the program at NCCU to support four to six M.S. students in Biology (particularly in cardiovascular and neuropharmacology research), and have successfully sent our first Bridge M.S. in Biology graduate to the WFU Physiology and Pharmacology Ph.D. program. We now propose a goal to expand the disciplines of study at both partner institutions and to develop mechanisms to foster a smoother transition between the two phases of academic training for our students. Aim 1 proposes to expand the program at NCCU to embrace students participating in the expanding number of research disciplines that are being developed at this institution. This will be accomplished as NCCU formally develops an internal minor in biochemistry within the Chemistry M.S. program, and develops advanced graduate coursework in cancer biology, bioinformatics and bioprocessing. Aim 2 proposes to expand the participating programs at WFU. This will be accomplished with the inclusion of the well established Ph.D. programs in Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience, and Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology. Aim 3 proposes to strengthen transition to the Ph.D. phase for students. This will be accomplished by fostering student participation in NCCU and professional society programs in which student research communications skills are developed, by incorporating research rotation modules at WFU for students during the completion of their M.S. phase, and by continuing to develop research collaborations between the faculty at the two institutions that can facilitate student interactions with researchers at the Ph.D. institution prior to entering the Ph.D. phase of the training. In the next cycle of funding, we expect to be able to support six M.S. students through two to three years of M.S. graduate research assistantships with tuition, send two Ph.D.-directed undergraduate students per year to WFU for an intensive summer research experience, and support travel for each student to a professional society meeting to present their work.