UNC-Greensboro U-RISE: Engage, Sustain, and Prepare Future PhD Biomedical Scientists

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SUMMARY The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) U-RISE will be a comprehensive undergraduate training program that will directly contribute to increasing the percentage of underrepresented (UR) students pursuing graduate studies in preparation for careers in the biomedical research workforce. The proposed U-RISE Fellows program will leverage an array of activities designed to promote academic and social integration, knowledge and skill development, support and motivation, and monitoring and advising. Our program will use merit- and need- based criteria to select U-RISE Fellows from our large pool of academically talented UR students. The UNCG U-RISE program will engage these Fellows in substantive research projects leading to comprehensive basic laboratory and evaluation skills. A quality pool of research faculty is available to mentor Fellows and sponsor their research projects. Our multidisciplinary program will sustain academic, professional, and social development with enrichment strategies that include community building activities, co-curricular instruction, and intensive research workshops and experiences. The ultimate goal of our program is to prepare Fellows for success in PhD level training in biomedical sciences by ensuring competency in research fundamentals and requisite professional and science communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. We will also prepare these students by networking them into the existing community of underrepresented scientists, postdoctoral researchers, graduate, and undergraduate students via participation in relevant societies and professional meetings. A multidisciplinary environment is integrated throughout our program and reinforced in its academic enhancement core. Effective interdisciplinary research teams are more likely when participants have broader exposure and understanding of complementary disciplines. Community-engaged activities, historical hallmarks of UNCG’s identity, will provide perspective on the translational and social impacts of biomedical research. The support provided through this program will have substantial effects on UNC-Greensboro U-RISE: Engage, Sustain, and Prepare Future PhD Biomedical Scientists Fellows as well as the UR student population in general at UNCG.