Elizabeth City State University Minority Access to Research Careers (E-MARC) Unde

描述(由申请者提供)：伊丽莎白城州立大学(ECSU)是一所历史上一直是黑人的大学，位于北卡罗来纳州最贫困的地区之一，80%的学生居住在那里。一项机构自我研究确定了四个主要挑战，这些挑战阻碍了培养出有竞争力被博士项目录取的毕业生。这些挑战是：(I)第一代大学新生缺乏学术榜样，(Ii)少数族裔和多数族裔学生在学术上的成就差距，(Iii)STEM学科高级专业较低，以及(Iv)博士项目录取率低。拟议的ECSU少数族裔研究就业本科生学术和研究培训(E-MARC)旨在使该机构有能力通过在校园内提高学术水平和在全国各地的外部研究密集型机构进行生物医学/行为研究培训来缓解这些挑战。E-MARC的参与者是生物、化学、物理、数学、计算机科学、工程技术、心理学和社会学专业的学生，GPA最低为3.50，并明确承诺攻读博士学位。预期结果：在授权期的5年内，20名EMARC前校友和大约10名非MARC资助的校友将进入博士课程。因此，该计划将导致进入博士课程的校友人数从5年基线的7人增加到5年内的30人以上。 与公共健康相关：在美国的生物医学/行为研究企业中，少数族裔代表性不足的主要原因包括(I)城市管理人员和大多数学生之间的学业成绩差距，(Ii)导致的低分平均分(GPA)，(Iii)被博士录取所需的标准化考试(如研究生入学考试(GRE))的低分，以及(Iv)缺乏夏季研究机会。拟议的计划通过为URM提供学术提升活动和暑期研究实习培训机会来解决这些问题，旨在使他们在被博士项目录取方面具有竞争力。预计在资助期间，将有30多名URM被博士项目录取--增加了四倍多。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A historically black institution, Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is located in one of the most impoverished regions of North Carolina that is home to 80% of its students. An institutional self-study identified four major challenges that militate against the production of graduates that are competitive for acceptance into PhD programs. These challenges are (i) lack of academic role models for first-generation college freshman, (ii) achievement gaps in academics between underrepresented minority and majority students, (iii) low advanced majors in the STEM disciplines and (iv) low acceptance rates into PhD Programs. The proposed ECSU Minority Access to Research Careers Undergraduate Students Academic and Research Training (E-MARC) is designed to equip the institution with an ability to mitigate these challenges through academic enhancement on campus and biomedical/behavioral research training at external research-intensive institutions around the country. E-MARC participants are majors in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering Technology, Psychology and Sociology with minimum GPA of 3.50 and unequivocal commitment to pursuing PhDs. Expected outcome: In the 5 years of the grant period, 20 EMARC former alumni and about 10 non-MARC supported alumni will have entered PhD programs. Thus, the program will result in increasing the number of alumni entering PhD programs from a 5-year baseline of 7 to over 30 in 5 years. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Major contributing factors to the great paucity of underrepresented minorities in the biomedical/behavioral research enterprise of the USA include (i) academic achievement gaps between URMs and majority students, (ii) resulting low grade point averages (GPAs), (iii) low scores on standardized tests such as Graduate Record Examination (GRE) required for acceptance into PhD and (iv) lack of participation in summer research opportunities. The proposed program addresses these problems by providing academic enhancement activities and summer research internship training opportunities for the URMs designed to make them competitive for acceptance into PhD programs. It is expected that over 30 URMs will be accepted into PhD programs during the funding--more than four-fold increase.