UAB Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program

 描述（由申请人提供）：这是一个新的R25申请，请求支持伯明翰亚拉巴马大学（UAB）的神经科学路线图学者计划。尽管在过去十年中，获得科学博士学位的少数民族（URM）群体的美国公民人数有所增加，但URM仍然只占美国科学家的一小部分。UAB在支持不同学员群体的培训方面具有独特的优势。这种准备的证据是URM学生的显着（36%）本科招生，主要是非洲裔美国人，鉴于我们在美国东南部的位置。此外，UAB还是多名本科生和研究生级别的残疾学生（约400名）的所在地。重要的是，已经有几个项目，如公平和多样性办公室，综合神经科学中心，以及医学院战略计划中对神经科学的关注，为发展神经科学多样性项目奠定了坚实的基础。综合神经科学中心作为UAB校园神经科学的中心，将成为神经科学路线图学者计划的所在地。CNC拥有约365名成员，来自5所学校的11个基础科学和临床部门的教师。自2010年以来，89个新的教师已经在几个神经科学相关部门和来自不同背景的学生申请到神经科学主题研究生课程的数量招聘代表27%的国内申请人池在2014年。 我们提出的神经科学路线图学者计划将针对阻碍成功的障碍，目标是吸引更多的多样性受训者参与神经科学研究，并在博士生涯早期为他们提供必要的工具和技能，这对于终身职业选择至关重要。的 神经科学路线图学者计划的具体“增值”组成部分包括年度东南地区NEURAL（全国增强代表不足的学术领袖）夏季会议，与职业教练的互动（与学者的研究导师分开），点对点指导和本科生学员，以及独特的课外活动。由于UAB SOM和多样性与公平办公室专注于神经科学的多样性，作为未来五年主要投资的领域，有414，000美元的津贴支持和2000万美元的战略规划，神经科学路线图学者计划的未来是安全的，它将从这项投资中受益匪浅，并增加了有才华和合格的学术领袖。其结果应该是增加申请人和录取学生的数量和质量从不同的背景在UAB神经科学在研究生水平，在本科生，博士后和教师水平以及积极的影响。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a new R25 application requesting support for the Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Although the number of U.S. citizens from underrepresented minority (URM) groups earning doctoral degrees in science has increased over the past decade, URMs continue to represent a small proportion of the scientists in the United States. UAB is uniquely positioned to support the training of diverse group of trainees. Evidence of this readiness is the significant (36%) undergraduate enrollment of URM students, predominantly African American, given our location in the Southeastern US. In addition, UAB is the home for several students with disabilities at the undergraduate and graduate levels (approximately 400). Importantly, there are several programs already in place, such as the Office of Equity and Diversity, the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, and the focus on Neuroscience in the School of Medicine Strategic Plan serve as a firm footing for the development of a program targeting diversity in Neuroscience. The Comprehensive Neuroscience Center functions as the epicenter for the Neurosciences on UAB campus and will be the home of the Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program. The CNC has a membership of approximately 365 members, with faculty from 11 basic science and clinical departments from 5 Schools. Since 2010, 89 new faculty have been recruited across several neuroscience-related departments and the number of students from diverse backgrounds applying to the Neuroscience Theme graduate program represents 27% of the domestic applicant pool in 2014. Our proposed Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program will target the obstacles impeding success with the goal of attracting an increased number of diversity trainees to neuroscience research and providing them with the necessary tools and skills early in their PhD careers which are essential to making this a life-long career choice. The specific "value added" components of the Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program include the annual southeast regional NEURAL (National Enhancement of Under-Represented Academic Leaders) summer conference, interactions with Career Coaches (separate from the scholar's Research mentor), Peer-to peer mentoring and undergraduate mentees, and distinct extracurricular activities. As the UAB SOM and office of Diversity and Equity have focused on diversity in the neurosciences as an area for major investment with $414,000 in stipend support and $20 million towards strategic planning over the next five years, the future of the Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program is secure and it will benefit substantially from this investment with the addition of talented and qualified academic leaders. The result should be an increase in the number and quality of both applicants and matriculating students from a diverse background at UAB in neuroscience at the graduate level, with a positive impact at the undergraduate, postdoctoral and faculty levels as well.