UCSC-MARC U*STAR PROGRAM

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The mission of UCSC MARC U*STAR program is to prepare underrepresented minority students for admission to Ph.D. programs and professional research careers in the biomedical sciences concordant with the mission statement of the NIGMS MARC U*STAR program. The overall goal of the UCSC MARC U*STAR program is to have at least 80% of UCSC-MARC Fellows enroll in and subsequently be awarded the Ph.D. from prestigious graduate departments in the biomedical sciences. To accomplish this ambitious goal, the UCSC-MARC U*STAR program has set several quantifiable objectives for the next five years: 1) to increase the MARC applicant pool by 100% and to improve the overall academic credentials and awareness of careers in research of these students. 2) to raise the GRE scores of all MARC Fellows to at least the 80th percentile in all areas. 3) to have all MARC Fellows present and/or author a scientific paper in a peer reviewed forum or journal before graduation. 4) to have all MARC Fellows research, write and submit a predoctoral fellowship application to a national agency prior to admission in a Ph.D. program. To achieve these objectives the UCSC-MARC U*STAR program will continue to provide and augment a rigorous yet personally supportive program of training and hands on research experience. The program will involve third and fourth year students, majoring in Biology, Chemistry or Computer Sciences and Applied Mathematics, in a integrated academic and research environment that will include: (1) training in research theory and methodology; (2) activities that include Student Research Seminar Course, Research Design and Methodology, Colloquia on Current Topics in Biomedical Sciences and a MARC Visiting Faculty Seminar; (3) an opportunity for summer research at an off-campus or on-campus site; (4) intense, personalized academic and career advisement; and (5) an opportunity to prepare for the Graduate Record Examination and Predoctoral Fellowship preparation. UCSC-MARC U*STAR Fellows will be selected on the basis of academic achievement and research potential as well as an expressed interest in pursuing an advanced graduate degree in the sciences Evaluation of the success of the UCSC-MARC U*STAR program will be assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitatively, an extensive database detailing information on academic performance, research productivity, GRE performance, etc will be collected and maintained for all students from the time of entry into the UCSC-MARC pool, through the UCSC-MARC Fellowship and subsequent graduate training and their professional research career. Qualitative measures of program effectiveness will be obtained by detailed annual questionnaires circulated to UCSC-MARC Fellows, UCSC-MARC faculty mentors and the advisory committee. Data collection and dissemination of summary information will be accomplished through the interactive UCSC-MARC U*STAR web site now under development.