Undergraduate Biomedical Research Training at Jackson State University

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In the last funding cycle, twenty-eight MARC trainees were admitted to the MARC Program at JSU and as a result seventeen trainees have graduated. Of these graduates, one student entered Dental School and four entered a master's degree program. Twelve MARC trainees (71%) were admitted to Ph.D./Bridge programs. The overall goal of the Program is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who will enter and successfully earn Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences. The objectives to achieve this goal are: 1) to attract 175 new students per year to participate in outreach activities; 2) to increase the biomedical retention rate of the MARC trainees to 100% by fall 2012; 3) to have 80% of MARC trainees who complete the program accepted into a Ph.D. program as operationally defined; 4) to have 100% of MARC trainees expressing satisfaction with their extramural training; and 5) to have 100% of MARC trainees expressing satisfaction with their intramural training. JSU will select students meeting specific requirements and implement a research training program; curriculum enhancements; and graduate bridging activities. The undergraduate training will begin with pre-MARC activities aimed at ensuring potential applicants have the proper academic back-ground. The selected trainees will be prepared to intern at external summer research sites. The selected trainees will be paired with faculty who will serve as their research preceptors and are active in research. The trainees will be taught responsible conduct through: workshops and the course, "Introduction to Research." Trainees must develop a research career plan; participate in conferences, take the GRE, and apply to graduate programs. Pre-MARC activities will be implemented to identify and introduce students to the Program and research careers. The students will be introduced to the tools of research, via guided tours of multi-user research facilities, and attend research seminars. The program evaluation will consist of evaluations to examine the impact of the program. The summative evaluation strategy will measure the contribution of the program to increase the participation of minority students in Ph.D. programs. A program effectiveness model will be used to insure that evaluative data are used for program improvements.