Alcorn State University: Penn State University Bridges to the Doctorate Program

描述（由申请人提供）：美国经济的持续增长将严重依赖于一批受过科学训练的工人。目前的预测表明，学生在科学和工程领域的参与度正在下降。然而，在这些领域存在着一群传统上被低估的学生，少数民族学生。招募和培训这类学生的重大努力可能会导致这些群体在科学和工程领域的代表性增加，也将增加美国受过科学训练的工人的数量和数量。目前增加传统上在科学领域没有代表性的群体参与的努力包括旨在增加招募和准备这类学生进入研究生院的活动。然而，在留住这些学生方面几乎没有做出任何努力。该提案的目标是继续宾夕法尼亚州立大学和奥尔康州立大学之间的一个项目，该项目一直在准备和留住传统上在美国生物医学科学领域代表性不足的学生。为了实现这一目标，该申请的目标是继续我们的综合项目，有效地增加奥尔康州立大学学生的培训机会和技能组合。增加他们为研究生院的严谨性做准备，增加奥尔康州立大学优秀教师的研究机会。我们的理由是，更有效的准备和保留策略将导致传统上在生物医学科学领域代表性不足的少数民族学生人数增加。我们有两个具体的目标：1)招聘奥尔康州立大学生物科学硕士学位课程的学生参加奥尔康州立大学和宾夕法尼亚州立大学的桥梁项目；2)促进奥尔康州立大学和宾夕法尼亚州立大学之间的教师交流，以更新研究技能，提高奥尔康州立大学教师的研究广度。通过一系列旨在提高研究生院少数族裔学生留存率的策略，我们已经增加并预计将继续增加从奥尔康州立大学硕士项目转到博士项目的学生数量，特别是在宾夕法尼亚州立大学。更重要的是，我们预计这些努力将导致传统上在生物医学科学领域代表性不足的学生保留和接受博士学位。这将对美国受过科学训练的工人数量的增加产生重大影响，这些工人可以为持续的研究和开发做出贡献。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Continued economic growth in the U.S. will be critically dependent on a pool of scientifically trained workers. Current predictions suggest that student participation in science and engineering is decreasing. However, there exist of pool of students that have traditionally been underrepresented in these fields, minority students. Significant efforts to recruit and train such students could lead to increased representation of these groups in science and engineering, and will also increase the number and pool of scientifically trained workers in the U.S. Current efforts to increased participation of groups traditionally not represented in science include activities that aim at increasing recruitment and preparation of such students for graduate school entrance. However, little effort has been made in retention of such students. The goal of this proposal is to continue a program between The Pennsylvania State University and Alcorn State University that has been preparing and retaining students traditionally underrepresented in biomedical sciences in the U.S. In pursuit of that goal, the objective of this application is to continue our comprehensive program that effectively increases the training opportunities and skill set of select Alcorn State University students, increasing their preparation for the rigors of graduate school, enhancing the research opportunities of select faculty at Alcorn State. Our rationale is that more effective preparation and retention strategies will lead to increased numbers of minority students who are traditionally underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. We have two specific objectives: 1) Recruitment of select Biological Sciences Masters degree program students at Alcorn State University to participate in the Bridges program at Alcorn State and Penn State, and 2) facilitate faculty exchanges between Alcorn State and Penn State in order to update research skills and enhance research breadth of faculty at Alcorn State. Using a combination of strategies designed to enhance retention of minority students in graduate school we have increased and expect to continue to increase the numbers of students transitioning from the Masters program at Alcorn State into PhD programs, particularly at Penn State. More importantly, we expect that these efforts will result in increased retention and receipt of PhD by students traditionally underrepresented in biomedical sciences. This will have a significant impact on the increase in the pool of scientifically trained workers in the U.S. who can contribute to continued research and development. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Continued economic growth in the U.S. will be critically dependent on a pool of scientifically trained workers. Current predictions suggest that student participation in science and engineering is decreasing. However, there exist of pool of students that have traditionally been underrepresented in these fields, minority students. The Alcorn State:Penn State Bridges to the Doctorate Program has been develop to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who go on to attaining the PhD. This will therefore increase the pool of scientifically trained workers in the U.S., and also increase the number of those who are minorities.