Cal State Fullerton MARC U*STAR Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The mission of the Cal State Fullerton MARC U*STAR Program will be to recruit and prepare promising minority life science students for graduate schools and research careers in biomedical science. The success of the Program will be measured in the short-term by the number of Scholars entering doctoral programs and in the long term by their progress toward, and eventual entry into research-oriented careers. Over the course of the funding period, we propose to have two-thirds of all Scholars enter high-quality, doctoral programs where they will earn research-oriented doctoral degrees and from which they will enter research careers. The short-term goals will be: (1) recruit, select and retain well-qualified students in the Cal State Fullerton MARC U*STAR Program; (2) develop MARC Scholars' skills for doing scientific research (3) develop MARC Scholars' written and oral communication skills for disseminating scientific discoveries; (4) prepare MARC Scholars academically for a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. program in biomedical science; (5) develop in MARC Scholars an understanding and appreciation of professional integrity issues encountered in a research career; (6) provide MARC Scholars with personalized career and academic advisement; and, (7) prepare MARC Scholars for the demands of a research career as minority scientists. To measure the short- term progress, the Program will use specially developed assessment tools, forms, and e-journal entries. The Mentors and Program Director will complete the rubrics and forms, and the Scholars will create the e- journals entries. On a yearly basis, all MARC Scholars will be expected to improve to, or achieve at, Level 4-5 (scale 1-5) in laboratory performance, scientific skills, and oral and written communication skills, so that by the end of their two-year participation in the Program they have shown improvement or high achievement in at least 75% of the measurable objectives. To measure long-term success, the Program will do a three- year follow up of all graduated Scholars using a specially designed questionnaire. The Cal State Fullerton MARC U*STAR Program will contribute to the success in the research careers of the participating MARC Scholars, and will have a broader impact on the participating departments and colleges via the enhancement of their curricula, and an increased richness in the student research environment.