MUSC Short-Term Research Education Program to Increase Diversity

项目描述（由申请人提供）：该项目主要目的是为16名在心血管功能和疾病领域有才华的学生提供短期（10周）的培训经历。这种研究教育机会将提供给来自弱势背景、种族和少数民族以及其他在生物医学研究中代表性不足的学生。长期目标是通过接触该领域广泛的研究活动而产生的兴趣，增加心血管生物学卫生专业学生的数量。参与该项目的36名项目教师是根据他们在心血管疾病、心血管发育、心脏干细胞和再生医学、细胞信号传导和蛋白质组学领域的积极研究项目而被选中的，这些研究项目得到了NIH/NHLBI超过1140万美元的校外资金的支持。一些教师还对影响非裔美国人的疾病进行临床和结果导向的研究，特别是高血压、糖尿病和肥胖症。该项目的学生将密切参与其中一个参与实验室的正在进行的项目，并接触到开展基础科学和流行病学研究的许多方面。学生还将参加一系列讲座，涵盖生物学研究的前沿主题，重点是与心血管功能和疾病以及临床/转化研究相关的主题。此外，该系列讲座还涵盖了实验室安全和负责任的研究行为。在这个申请中，我们提出了一个新的倡议，让这些学生有机会与来访的研讨会见面

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary objective of this program is to provide a short-term (10 weeks) training experience for sixteen talented students in the area of cardiovascular function and disease. This research education opportunity will be provided to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, racial and ethnic minorities, and others who are underrepresented in biomedical research. The long-range goal is to increase the number of such students in health professions in cardiovascular biology through interest generated by exposure to a broad spectrum of research activities in this area. The 36 Program Faculty participating in the program have been selected on the basis of their active research programs in the areas of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular development, cardiac stem cells and regenerative medicine, cell signaling, and proteomics that are supported by more than $11.4 million of extramural funds from the NIH/NHLBI. Several of the faculty also conduct clinical and outcomes oriented research on diseases that disproportionately affect African Americans, notably hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Students in the program are intimately involved in the ongoing projects in one of the participating laboratories, and are exposed to many aspects of conducting basic science and epidemiologic research. Students also participate in a lecture series that covers cutting edge topics in biological research, with a focus on topics related to cardiovascular function and disease and clinical/translational research. In addition, the lecture series covers laboratory safety and responsible conduct of research. In this application, we propose a new initiative that will give these students an opportunity to meet with visiting seminar speakers in informal settings to gain insights into careers in science. At the conclusion of the training period, the students prepare a brief written paper and give an oral presentation on their project. They are also encouraged to return in November to present their research at the university-wide annual research day. The program will be evaluated at the end of each year using a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches including analysis of applicant pool data and recruitment methods, as well as exit interviews and surveys with the students, and feedback from the mentors. Additionally, students' career choices and progress will be tracked by yearly contact with each of the participants. (End of Abstract)