Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program at University of Alabama at Birmingham

生物医学研究在美国迅速发展；然而，少数民族仍然是 在这一劳动力中代表性不足，约占美国人口的29%，但仅获得 ~7%的博士学位和只有~4%的NIH RO1授予。许多少数民族学生很早就缺了 参与和机会发展技能和内容知识，以完成工商管理硕士课程。 十多年来，杰斐逊州立社区学院(JSCC)和阿拉巴马大学 伯明翰(UAB)合作开发了一项动态计划，以弥合少数族裔 JSCC学生进入本科生和研究生生物医学和行为教育以及 事业。我们目前的生物医学职业发展基金(BBC)预测，75%的学生 将在5年内获得学士学位，35%的人将进入生物医学研究生教育，35%的人将 进入生物医学职业生涯。在BBC的95名学生中，98%的人已经完成或正在 在5年或更短的时间内完成生物医学/行为科学学士学位，100%是少数族裔， 75%的人正在(或申请)生物医学和行为学研究生课程。这个 剩下的25%正在攻读理科学士学位，从事研究工作。最大的挑战之一是 BBC的学生一直需要在学年期间工作来支付学费， 减少了他们从事研究的时间。新的NIGMS B2B计划 通过资助学生全年开展研究来应对这一挑战， 从他们大二年级的暑期研究实习开始。桥梁-UAB 利用这笔更大的学生资金，进一步提高学生的成功。它 将包括JSCC非常严格的新生招聘，包括一项研究 举办研讨会和介绍研究课程，并发展JSCC和UAB的其他伙伴关系 生物医学课程。桥梁-UAB将促进JSCC和UAB之间更紧密的互动 研究和教育，并为JSCC和UAB的学生提供教育机会， 实习和指导，让他们沉浸在生物医学和行为研究中 并为他们的研究生涯做好准备。桥梁-UAB将向以下人员提供奖学金 涵盖大二和大三，UAB计划支付大部分大四的费用，因此 为学生专注于学习和前沿研究铺平道路。上级- 水平较高的学生将被鼓励成为新生的同行导师，以及顶尖的桥梁-UAB 学生们将返回JSCC在研讨会和其他课程中展示他们的研究成果， 鼓励JSCC学生考虑从事研究工作。更广泛的影响将是 扩大生物医学研究队伍的多样性。智力上的优点将是认识到 吸引少数族裔学生并为他们从事生物医学研究做准备的方法。

Biomedical research is expanding rapidly in the US; however, minorities continue to be underrepresented in this workforce, constituting ~29% of the US population, but receiving only ~7% of PhD degrees and only ~4% of NIH RO1 grants. Many minority students lack early engagement and opportunities to develop skills and content knowledge to complete BS programs. For over 10 years Jefferson State Community College (JSCC) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have partnered to develop a dynamic program to bridge minority JSCC students into undergraduate and graduate biomedical and behavioral education and careers. Our current Bridges to Biomedical Careers grant (BBC) predicted that 75% of students would gain a BS in 5 years, 35% would enter biomedical graduate education and 35% would enter biomedical careers. Of the 95 students in BBC, 98% have completed or are currently completing a BS in biomedical/behavioral sciences in 5 years or less, 100% are minorities, and 75% are in (or applying for) biomedical and behavioral graduate programs. The remaining 25% are pursuing research careers with their BS. One of the greatest challenges for students in BBC has been their need to work during the school year to pay for their tuition, decreasing the time they could work on their research. The new NIGMS B2B program addresses this challenge by funding students to carry out research throughout the entire year, starting with a summer research internship in their rising sophomore year. Bridges-UAB takes advantage of this greater student funding to enhance student success even further. It will include a very rigorous recruitment of freshman students at JSCC, including a research workshop and intro to research course and develop other JSCC and UAB partnership biomedical courses. Bridges-UAB will promote closer interactions between JSCC and UAB in research and education and provide students at JSCC and UAB with educational opportunities, internships and mentoring that will immerse them into biomedical and behavioral research and prepare them for research careers. Bridges-UAB will provide scholarships to cover the sophomore and junior years, and UAB plans to cover most senior year costs, thus paving the way for the students to focus on learning and their cutting-edge research. Upper- level students will be encouraged to be peer mentors to newer students, and top Bridges-UAB students will return to present their research at JSCC in the workshop and other courses, encouraging the JSCC students to consider research careers. The Broader Impact will be to expand the diversity of the biomedical research workforce. The Intellectual Merit will be to identify methods that engage and prepare minority students for careers in biomedical research.