ToxMSDT: An Innovative Toxicology Pathway mentoring program targeting underrepresented STEM students

项目摘要 NIMG R25 IPERT计划的目标是支持补充和/或增强 培训劳动力，以满足国家的生物医学，行为和临床研究的需要。这 资助机会鼓励活动和推广计划，主要侧重于技能课程 发展，结构化的辅导活动和推广计划，以创造一个高技能和多样化的 劳动力毒理学专业面临的一个主要挑战是缺乏多元化的劳动力。虽然 国家环境健康科学研究所（NIEHS）多年来一直认识到这一问题， 事实上，已经试图通过不同的筹资机制来解决这一问题， 在毒理学专业的个人仍然令人不安的低。因此，需要一种新的方法， 关闭差距。毒理学研究生招收本科生的不足之一是 然而，该计划缺乏本科毒理学培训计划。毒理学是从 在研究生阶段。由于缺乏对毒理学及其作用的认识和知识， 保护人类、动物和环境健康，有兴趣攻读研究生的本科生 教育界自然不会考虑。加州大学戴维斯分校在戴维斯，加利福尼亚州，在与社会的合作伙伴关系， 毒理学（SOT），正在与爱荷华州州立大学（ISU）在艾姆斯，爱荷华州，塔斯基吉大学（TU）， 塔斯基吉，AL和俄亥俄州州立大学（OSU），哥伦布OH，提供为期一年的本科 毒理学指导和技能发展培训（ToxMSDT）计划。ToxMSDT有两个具体目标。 具体目标#1：为入学人数不足的本科生提供辅导计划 科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）。具体目标#2：提供在线培训计划 包括个案研究和技能发展的简短电子模块。这个创新的灵活的在线计划 可通过移动的设备以及连接到互联网的计算机访问， 全天候公开在这方面，这是一个独特的毒理学推广计划。我们建议将招生人数增加到20人 每年招收本科生，并在全国范围内扩大招生，包括所有代表性不足的学生。 美国人口的一部分。这一独特的培训计划的预期成果包括：a）至少65% 计划校友从事后续研究计划，实习或其他相关活动， 毒理学或生物医学科学专业的相关领域; B）至少50%的计划校友申请 毒理学，或相关的生物医学科学研究生课程或加入毒理学劳动力; c）a 致力于扩大毒理学的毒理学学生，研究人员和专业人员的持续网络 为美国人口中代表性不足的群体提供指导和职业机会。

Project Summary The goal of the NIMG R25 IPERT program is to support educational activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs. This funding opportunity encourages activities and outreach programs with a primary focus on courses for skills development, structured mentoring activities, and outreach programs to create a highly skilled and diverse workforce. A major challenge facing the toxicology profession is a lack of a diversified workforce. Although the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has recognized this problem for many years and indeed has tried to address it through different funding mechanisms, the number of underrepresented individuals in the toxicology profession remains disappointingly low. Therefore, a new approach is needed to close the gap. One of the shortcomings of recruiting undergraduates into the toxicology graduate research programs is a lack of undergraduate toxicology training programs in the country. Toxicology is taught starting at graduate level. Because of the lack of awareness and knowledge about toxicology and its role in the protection of human, animal, and environmental health, undergraduates with interest in pursuing graduate education naturally will not consider it as an option. UC Davis in Davis, CA, in partnership with The Society of Toxicology (SOT), are collaborating with Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames, IA , Tuskegee University (TU), Tuskegee, AL, and The Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus OH, to deliver a one-year long undergraduate toxicology mentoring and skills development training (ToxMSDT) program. ToxMSDT has two specific aims. Specific Aim #1: Delivery of a mentoring program to underrepresented undergraduate students enrolled in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Specific Aim #2: Delivery of an online training program consisting of case studies and short e-modules for skills development. This innovative flexible online program is accessible on mobile devices as well as from computers connected to the internet and is open to the general public 24/7. In this regard, this is a unique toxicology outreach program. We propose increase enrollment to 20 undergraduate students each year and to expand recruitment nationally, inclusive of all underrepresented segments of the US population. Expected outcomes of this unique training program include: a) at least 65% of program alumni engaging in subsequent research programs, internships or other relevant activities in toxicology or a related area in the biomedical sciences professions; b) at least 50% of program alumni applying to toxicology, or related biomedical sciences graduate programs or joining the toxicology workforce; c) a sustained network of toxicology students, researchers and professionals committed to expanding toxicology mentoring and career opportunities for underrepresented segments of the US population.