Integration of Biomedical Research into Education of Future PhD Candidates

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-range goal of the Cal Poly Pomona RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who complete Ph.D. degree programs in biomedical and behavioral sciences. Cal Poly Pomona enrolls a substantial number of underrepresented minority students. The participants of this program will experience research as an integral part of their learning and teaching environment, and as a result, they will identify themselves as members of the scientific research community. To achieve this goal, we have developed an integrated program of workshops and research experiences in which a student can learn how to be successful academically and to acquire the laboratory skills and knowledge base needed to become a successful research scientist. A professional evaluator has been intimately involved in the development and writing of the proposal to insure integration of the appropriate evaluation and assessment tools throughout the course of the program. This program is divided into three parts: Invitation for sophomores, Intensive-Undergraduate for juniors and seniors and Intensive- Graduate for MS students. To achieve the program goal, three objectives have been identified and incorporated into the different developmental levels: 1) Academic Support, which will focus on developing the students' academic skills in the areas of test-taking, studying, and communication (oral, written) so that they are able to maintain the cumulative and science GPAs necessary for Ph.D. program acceptance; 2) Research Immersion and Laboratory Skill Development which includes activities to both introduce and immerse students in scientific research by having them work on their own research project in a productive research laboratory with a faculty research mentor at Cal Poly Pomona or a neighboring R1 institution; and 3) Professional Development through activities which provide a broad context from which participants gain personal knowledge of and hands-on experience with the general performance expectations associated with Ph.D. programs including journal clubs, manuscript preparation, grant-writing, and presentation of their research. The RISE activities will culminate in the students applying to several Ph.D. biomedical research programs with the expectation of their acceptance into these programs. The long-range goal of the RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) is to increase the number of underrepresented minority graduates who enter and complete Ph.D. programs in biomedical research. To achieve this, we have designed a program to give sophomores, juniors, seniors and Master's degrees students workshop and research experiences which emphasize the importance of integrating biomedical research into their learning experience. By focusing on activities which provide academic support, research immersion and laboratory skill development, and professional development, the students will progress toward acceptance into a Ph.D. biomedical research program.