Promoting Diversity of Future Scientists

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Abstract The Summer Undergraduate Research in Physiology (SURP) program at the University of Michigan (UM), currently funded by the R25HL108842 (“Promoting Diversity of Future Scientists”), is proposed to be extended to another five incoming classes to provide training for underrepresented students to enter advanced graduate programs or pursue careers in biomedical and clinical research. The renewal SURP program includes 25 excellent faculty mentors from 5 basic science and 7 clinical departments within the UM Medical School, who have collectively mentored 114 summer undergraduate trainees, 51 of whom from underrepresented backgrounds. During the past four years, we evaluated 153 applications and enrolled 36 students from across the US. Notably, 91% (21/23) of our SURP trainees who have finished their undergraduate degrees are pursuing advanced graduate degrees, or holding technical positions in academic biomedical research settings or in private sectors. Five of the 36 students have published at least one paper with their research mentors, and at least eight more manuscripts are in progress. The focus of this renewal application is to continue the successful SURP program by recruiting 10 students per summer. Our 12-week summer research program includes (1) fulltime hands-on research experience in laboratories of our faculty mentors, (2) mentoring meetings to ensure that student trainees are taking maximum advantages of all the resources available to them; and (3) end of summer mini-symposium with oral presentations given by the students sharing their research projects. The SURP educational program incorporates a noon lecture series, designed specifically for the summer trainees and presented by faculty members, that teaches important physiology and research- related principles, including the use of different model organisms, ethics in laboratory research, and career opportunities in biomedical sciences. The SURP research education program will continue to be under the oversight of an Internal Advisory Committee, and student selection and progress monitoring accomplished by a Student Selection and Mentoring Committee. As such, we are fully committed to providing training to talented college students, from currently underrepresented backgrounds, to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population.