Cancer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CREU)

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Summary The University of Colorado Anschutz (CU Anschutz) has a strong history of training undergraduate, pre- and post-doc scientists in the biomedical sciences, and specifically in cancer research. The overarching goal of the Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU) program is to provide a mechanism through which undergraduate students can explore cancer research as a future career. In this research- intensive experience, students will spend 10 weeks in a laboratory working with a mentor from the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Students will choose from 52 qualified mentors with expertise in basic and clinical/ translational cancer research. CREU is primarily a research-intensive experience, however students will also attend weekly seminars that explore fundamental questions in cancer biology and professional development, including career mentoring. In addition, students will select from a variety of clinical/translational workshops (CTWs) based on their interests. CTW's will typically be ½ day experiences with faculty and biotechnology companies on the CU Anschutz campus and will be structured so as to capitalize on unique strengths and cancer training opportunities on our campus in personalized medicine and bioinformatics, cancer pathobiology and molecular diagnostics, and experimental therapeutics and biotechnology. A total of 26 students will be selected to participate in CREU from a pool of national applicants. To assure representation of diverse trainees, we have established “links” to two minority serving institutions, Chaminade University of Honolulu and the University of New Mexico. Applicants from these institutions will be given preferential consideration for participation in CREU, provided they meet our admissions standards. We will also actively recruit under- represented students at regional and national minority recruitment events. The CREU program is designed to provide potentially transformative experiences for college students who are interested in careers in biomedical research, but who have had limited immersive experiences in cancer research. Our goal is to increase the number of students, particularly from underrepresented minorities, who choose to pursue cancer research for a career. We will determine how well we meet our goals using short and long-term evaluation tools.