MBRS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The FSU-RISE program is located at Fayetteville State University (FSU), one of the 17 constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina System and the oldest historically black public institution of higher education in the state. FSU-RISE program is comprised of a series of phased-in awareness, mentoring and student development activities designed to help students succeed in college and become competitive applicants for graduate school beginning at the pre-freshmen level continuing through FSU graduation. This application proposes to provide each summer 14 pre-freshman (pre-RISE) scholars a 4-week intensive pre-matriculation enrichment program to promote success in college freshman-level English, Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics courses and to stimulate their interest in STEM majors. Additionally, 22 RISE scholars in biology, chemistry, math and computer science will engage in intensive research training through hands-on biotechniques workshops and research seminars beginning the sophomore year. Real world research experiences are gained through intramural/extramural research experiences and annual presentations of their research work at local, regional, and national research conferences. Developmental activities include weekly enrichment seminars; basic verbal reasoning and critical thinking building activities; and leadership development activities. Students build upon previous skills developed as they gain new experiences each year of program matriculation. The overarching goal of FSU-RISE is to increase the number of well-prepared Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Computer Science FSU graduates entering Ph.D. programs and biomedical relevant careers by having at least 80% of scholars complete the undergraduate degree; and at least 50% of FSU-RISE graduates enroll in advanced degree programs in the biomedical relevant fields within 3 years of FSU graduation. To achieve this goal, three objectives have been proposed for Cycle 4 (2015-2020): Objective 1: To strengthen the academic preparation of biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science students so that at least 80% of students earn a 3.0 GPA or better each year; Objective 2: To provide students meaningful, hands-on research training so that 85% of students will engage in cutting edge research experiences each year; and Objective 3: To STEMulate awareness and nurture interest in biomedical research careers such that at least 80% will persist in the RISE program each year. Participants are selected through a competitive application process which includes meeting program criteria and performing well on an interview. Formative and summative reports will be used to evaluate program performance measures and effectiveness.