Undergraduate Biomedical Research Training at St Mary's University

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的MARC-USTAR计划代表了圣玛丽大学继续努力成为代表性不足的少数民族生物医学研究科学家的重要生产者。该计划的长期目标是增加生物学、化学/生物化学、生物物理和工程专业的少数民族学生进入并完成生物医学科学博士研究项目的人数。为了实现这一目标，已为拟议的供资期间确立了下列目标：(1)通过提供大量的项目前机会来增加MARC项目的申请人数，(2)在未来五年内将我们项目的MARC学员人数从6人增加到10人，(3)通过招收学生参加特定的课程，为学员提供坚实的学术基础，(4)提高学员批判性阅读和解释科学文献的能力。(5)通过提供学年和暑期研究机会来提高学员的研究技能；(6)通过让学员参与科学和服务相关活动来培养学员的学科社交技能；(7)增加学员进入和完成研究型博士课程的人数；(8)增加圣玛丽大学教职员工与MARC学员一起参与学年研究的机会。建议的活动包括为学员提供严格的科学课程，进行学年研究，为学员安排在研究密集型机构的暑期研究经历，开发科学方法与分析课程，举办生物医学研究研讨会和系列研讨会，安排学员参加科学会议。参加该培训项目的学生将有资格攻读化学、生物化学、生物物理学、细胞和分子生物学、生理学、微生物学、流行病学和其他生物医学科学方面的博士学位。成功实现既定目标将有助于加强生物医学研究界的种族和族裔多样性，这反过来又将有助于最终消除保健方面的差异。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed MARC-USTAR Program represents a continuation of the efforts by St. Mary's University to become a significant producer of underrepresented minority biomedical research scientists. The institutional long-term goal for the Program is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students majoring in biology, chemistry/biochemistry, biophysics and engineering, who enter and complete doctoral research programs in the biomedical sciences. In order to achieve this goal, the following objectives have been established for the proposed funding period: (1) to increase the number of applicants available to the MARC program by providing numerous pre-program opportunities, (2) to increase the number of MARC trainees in our program from 6 to 10 over the next five years, (3) to provide trainees with a strong academic foundation by enrolling students in a specified set of courses, (4) to enhance the ability of trainees to critically read and interpret the scientific literature, (5) to enhance the research skills of trainees by providing both academic year and summer research opportunities, (6) to develop trainee disciplinary socialization skills by enabling trainees to participate in science and service-related activities, (7) to increase the number of trainees entering and completing research doctoral programs, and (8) to increase the opportunities for St. Mary's University faculty members to engage in the academic year research with MARC trainees. Proposed activities include providing trainees with a rigorous science curriculum, performing academic year research, arranging summer research experiences at research-intensive institutions for trainees, developing a Scientific Methods & Analysis course, conducting a biomedical research workshop and seminar series, and arranging trainee attendance at scientific meetings. Students participating in this training program will be qualified to pursue doctoral studies in chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, cell and molecular biology, physiology, microbiology, epidemiology, and other biomedical sciences. The successful attainment of the stated goal will contribute to the enhancement of the racial and ethnic diversity of the biomedical research community, which in turn will contribute to the eventual elimination of health care disparities.