MBRS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement at NC A&T State University

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The MBRS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program will infuse a biomedical research culture into the life of NCA&TSU students and faculty by enhancing research capacity and research training in the departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology. This is a revised application that seeks to increase minority participation in biomedical research through a broadly based training program for undergraduate students and faculty at North Carolina A&T State University. The proposed program will establish a quality interdepartmental and multi-phase research training program that is designed to provide both training and support necessary to build a strong biomedical research community. Such a community is significant to sustaining an improved intellectual environment of shared expertise, research productivity and student advancement into biomedical science careers. We propose to focus on undergraduate student development, faculty development and Institutional development. Goals of this proposal are to: 1) improve undergraduate retention in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology majors 2) increase student participation, skills, and commitment to do research, 3) improve student success rates in acceptance to Ph.D. programs, 4) increase the number of Biology, Chemistry and psychology faculty members who conduct funded research and 5) improve infrastructure for biomedical research training. Activities will include a pre- matriculation program for entering freshmen, four years of peer mentoring, summer and academic workshops and specialty courses, seminars, travel to symposia and summer research opportunities. Faculties will participate in cutting-edge workshops, engage in faculty summer sabbaticals in mentored research environments, and attend professional meetings, workshops and short courses that encourage new research collaborations. To improve physical infrastructure that supports research training, the RISE program will renovate a core molecular biology laboratory in the Department of Biology, and provide support for a "Student Training in Academic Research Center" (STAR*Center) for research students. Success of this program will be monitored and evaluated using formative and summative evaluation tools.