A Neuroscience-Focused Undergraduate Research Program at an HBCU

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant Our R25 project focuses on recruiting undergraduates from underrepresented groups and integrating them into a vibrant community of neuroscience researchers. Students will conduct research with faculty who have active labs with external funding, and will also participate in academic, outreach and professional development activities sponsored by the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research. Our project will target students from three Delaware institutions of higher education that serve large minority populations, allowing us to recruit a diverse group of students and maintain them as part of a supportive, research-focused community beyond the length of the 11-week summer program. The organizing center of our R25 project will be the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, virtual Center founded in 2012 with support from a grant frm NIGMS. The Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research supports the ongoing research projects of 10 investigators at DSU by providing significant funds for their research and release time from teaching. Another 14 affiliated faculty at DSU, UD and Nemours take part in Center-sponsored meetings, retreats and symposia, professional development workshops. The undergraduate researchers in our R25 program will be a part of the Center for Neuroscience Research, carrying out research projects with affiliated faculty and participating in Center activities and professional development opportunities, including presenting at the annual Delaware Neuroscience Symposium and traveling to a national undergraduate research conference. As an Historically-Black University with an undergraduate enrollment that is approximately 78% African-American, DSU is well-positioned to provide a supportive environment for under-represented students. We will partner with Wesley College, a liberal arts college just 3 miles from DSU which has an undergraduate enrollment that is approximately 50% minority, and the two largest campuses of the Delaware Technical and Community College (DTCC), which combined have just over 16,000 students, 36% of which are underrepresented minorities. Focusing on students attending institutions within our small state allows us to keep our research scholars involved in the neuroscience-related events beyond the length of the summer program. By combining a high quality research experience with participation in a neuroscience-focused community and skill-building activities designed to help students think like a scientist, the DSU SN-R program will help build participants preparation and enthusiasm for graduating with a STEM BS degree and pursuing a doctorate in a STEM area.