Research Enhancement for BUILDing Detroit (ReBUILDetroit)

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ReBUILDetroit is a partnership between institutions of higher learning in urban Detroit, comprised of University of Detroit Mercy (primary institution), Henry Ford College (pipeline Community College partner), and Wayne State University (research partner). Together these three institutions host almost half the population of college students in Detroit. The majority of our students reside in the Detroit area, are from groups underrepresented in biomedical sciences, are Pell-grant eligible, and are first generation college goers. Our students are from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and graduate from K-12 school systems that often are not able to provide access to skills required to succeed in college. These students, for a combination of financial and academic reasons, are unable to complete their studies, contributing to the low six-year graduation rates. The desire and the motivation to succeed are strong even with these challenges. The ReBUILDetroit program provides opportunities to precisely this set of Scholars. The program selects students who demonstrate the desire to pursue biomedical majors and careers in biomedical research. The program commences with students entering in the summer prior to their matriculation to college. In this summer enrichment program, ReBUILDetroit Scholars become college ready, develop a network with their fellow students at the partner institutions and are exposed to research. The first year in the program provides them with course-based instruction in research methods and research projects, after which they conduct research with nationallyrenowned research faculty throughout their undergraduate years. Scholars form a Learning Community and receive peer- and near-peer mentoring, dedicated academic advising from program staff, academic coaching, professional development opportunities, social networking, and financial support throughout their undergraduate years. Our Scholars have made excellent use of all of these support structures and have developed a strong sense of science-identity and belongingness. They excel academically, with greater than 90% retention from the start of the program to date as the majority of the first cohort enters the fourth (senior) year of college. Greater than 85% are on target to graduate in not six, but in four years, with STEM majors. They view themselves as reseachers and have won awards at national conferences for presentations on the outcomes of their research conducted with faculty. The majority of the first cohort is in the process of applying to graduate and professional schools as they seek graduation in May 2019. Importantly, they have developed a strong sense of belonging and have formed a network of their peers, both with their ReBUILDetroit colleagues and with their BUILD colleagues across the national consortium. The program created in the first cycle will be strengthened in the second grant cycle and continued even beyond the grant period as ReBUILDetroit scholars become the next generation of biomedical researchers pursuing careers in various sectors.