U-RISE at University of Detroit Mercy

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SUMMARY This U-RISE grant proposal from the University of Detroit Mercy addresses the need for fostering the development of underrepresented research scholars for careers in teaching and research in the biomedical sciences. By increasing the diversity of underrepresented persons in positions of leadership at research intensive institutions, the implicit biases that limit access to these positions can be overcome. In addition, underrepresented persons with advanced degrees in research will serve as role models for more junior trainees in the science pipeline who need peer mentors to help visualize themselves at academic institutions with a career in biomedical research. This U- RISE program (I-RISE with U-RISE: Preparing Underrepresented Scholars at Detroit Mercy for Careers in Biomedical Research) will recruit, train, and mentor 60 underrepresented undergraduates at the University of Detroit Mercy for three years (undergraduate years 2-4) per student with a curriculum emphasizing scientific literacy, development, and research. Pre-URISE and early U-RISE activities and courses will focus on establishing a sense of community, scientific identity, and belonging as well as introducing trainees to their first hands-on laboratory experiences with course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Their scientific identity will be further strengthened with additional courses/training modules in scientific writing, responsible conduct of research (RCR), and scientific ethics. Subsequently, I-RISE with U-RISE trainees will take additional CUREs as available, attend training workshops on analyzing and interpreting Big Data and methods for enhancing reproducibility, participate in ongoing RCR training, and engage in numerous career development sessions with their research mentors and the Student Success Coordinator. These strategies will ensure the trainees have all the guidance and resources they need to plan their path to graduate school and PhD training beyond the I- RISE with U-RISE program. I-RISE with U-RISE trainees will spend two summers engaged in intensive research experiences (~32 hours/week for 8-10 weeks) that will allow them to leverage their extensive course-based laboratory skills into practice in research laboratories. The first summer research experience will be internal to the University of Detroit Mercy, while the second will be off-site at a research-intensive institution. The goal of this integrated research initiative program is to prepare underrepresented trainees for a successful career as PhD scientists in biomedical research and pave the way for the development of future researchers in the field.