Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity

描述（由申请人提供）：范德比尔特大学修订的IMSD更新提案旨在帮助增加弱势少数民族进入科学职业的人数。我们完全设计了我们的提案，专注于为那些被我们的研究生项目录取的学生提供支持和指导。正如IMSD最初的申请一样，设想的方法是在许多少数民族学生感到压力和挑战的时候，通过提供支持，促进学生发展成为杰出的研究科学家，这些学生往往是一个非常陌生的新环境，包括教育机构，学习策略，以及对实验室指导和科学文献的严重依赖。在这项提案中，我们将在以往经验的基础上，增加一些全新的策略来支持我们的学生，特别是在关键的研究生学习的头两年。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The revised IMSD renewal proposal from Vanderbilt University is designed to help increase the number of disadvantaged minorities entering careers in science. We have completely designed our proposal to focus exclusively on support and mentoring for those students who are matriculated in our graduate programs. As in the original application for the IMSD, the approach envisaged is one which facilitates the students' development into outstanding research scientists by providing support at a time when many minority students feel stressed and challenged by what is often a highly unfamiliar new environment in terms of the educational institution, the learning strategies, and the heavy dependence on laboratory instruction and the scientific literature. In this proposal we will build upon our previous experience to add a number of dramatically new strategies to support our students, especially in the critical first two years of graduate study. This proposal will continue to support and enhance our activities to recruit and support the developing careers of minority students. Specifically, it will allow us to continue to facilitate our efforts in the following areas: (1) maintaining the number of minority students on campus through aggressive recruiting, (2) providing the support for dramatically increased and highly focused mentoring, (3) allowing us to make a major investment in supporting the developing careers of such students during the graduate education phase. As outlined in the progress report, we believe that we have made considerable gains in all of these areas, and we hope to continue what has been a successful program, while not being unaware that improvements can always be made.