The BS/MS Program in Neuroscience at the Atlanta University Consortium

亚特兰大大学联盟神经科学学士/硕士学位课程

• 批准号: 10024682
• 负责人: Morris J. Benveniste
• 金额: $ 26.51万
• 依托单位: MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10024682
• 关键词: Active Learning; African American; Applications Grants; Area; Biological Sciences; Censuses; Complex; Creativeness; Data; Degree program; Development; Doctor of Medicine; Doctor of Philosophy; Doctor' s Degree; Educational Curriculum; Enrollment; Environment; Evaluation; Exercise; Experimental Designs; Exposure to; Federal Government; Fellowship; Funding; Goals; Grant; Grant Review; Growth; Health; Healthcare; Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Home environment; Individual; Institutes; Institution; Laboratories; Laboratory Research; Literature; Master' s Degree; Mentors; Morehouse School of Medicine; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Neurology; Neurosciences; Neurosciences Research; Occupations; Physicians; Population; Positioning Attribute; Postdoctoral Fellow; Preparation; Probability; Publications; Research; Research Personnel; Research Project Grants; Science; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; Scientist; Societies; Source; Student recruitment; Students; System; Talents; Thinking; Time; Training; Underrepresented Minority; United States; United States National Institutes of Health; Universities; Vocational Guidance; Walking; Work; career; college; doctoral student; experience; falls; graduate student; improved; interest; lectures; medical schools; neurosurgery; pre-doctoral; programs; recruit; skills; stem; success; undergraduate student; underrepresented minority student

Diversification of the workforce of the biomedical sciences is of high strategic importance to the United States. Diversity of the workforce has been shown to increase diversity of thought, improve creativity and hasten progress. In addition, with the increase in diversity within the population of the United States in the next 30 years, we will need a diversified workforce to keep up with the demand for jobs in the health and biomedical sciences. The BS/MS Program in Neuroscience of the Atlanta University Consortium has a long-term goal of increasing the proportion of and success of under-represented minorities in the field of Neuroscience. The underlying hypothesis of this grant application is that exposure of students early in their collegiate academic career to neuroscience research will lead to more of these students choosing a career related to neuroscience research. In addition, this exposure will fortify their background in neuroscience, and give them valuable experience in critical and quantitative thinking as well as experimental design. Under-represented minority students are recruited to the dual degree program near the end of their sophomore year. As Juniors and Seniors, students take a rigorous, graduate level neuroscience core curriculum at Morehouse School of Medicine, while still attending their undergraduate institution. The close proximity to Morehouse School of Medicine of the participating institutions of the Atlanta University Consortium (Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University) allows students to walk to their graduate classes and laboratories on a daily basis. In this way, students can concurrently fulfill requirements for both the Bachelor of Science degree at their home institution and the master’s degree in Neuroscience granted by Morehouse School of Medicine. In the summer between Junior and Senior years, students start mentored laboratory work that contributes toward their master’s thesis. After graduating from their undergraduate institution, these students will continue to spend 10 – 11 more months almost exclusively devoted to bench research. During the Master year, BS/MS students also participate in an intensive MATLAB bootcamp with beginning Ph.D. students in the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School. In addition to sharpening quantitative skills, the Harvard experience is a great networking opportunity. Career counseling of BS/MS students is given throughout the three-year program. The Master year ends with a public thesis defense leading to the earned master’s degree. In order to attract top tier students from the Atlanta University Consortium, tuition is paid by the program and students also receive a stipend for their time working in the laboratory. This experience will hopefully increase the probability of under-represented minority students to become successful in career tracts as Ph.D. scientists, M.D., Ph.D. physician scientists, or physicians interested in neurology, neurosurgery or other fields where they can participate in research or easily collaborate with researchers.

生物医学科学工作人员的多样化对美国具有高度的战略重要性。事实证明，劳动力的多样性可以增加思想的多样性，提高创造力，加快进步。此外，随着未来30年美国人口多样性的增加，我们将需要一支多样化的劳动力队伍来满足健康和生物医学科学领域的就业需求。亚特兰大大学联盟的神经科学学士/硕士课程的长期目标是增加神经科学领域代表性不足的少数民族的比例和成功。这项资助申请的基本假设是，学生在大学学术生涯的早期接触神经科学研究将导致更多的学生选择与神经科学研究相关的职业。此外，这种接触将加强他们在神经科学方面的背景，并在批判性和定量思维以及实验设计方面给予他们宝贵的经验。未被充分代表的少数民族学生在大二结束时被招募到双学位课程。作为大三和大四的学生，在莫尔豪斯医学院学习严格的研究生水平的神经科学核心课程，同时仍然在他们的本科学校学习。靠近莫尔豪斯医学院的亚特兰大大学联盟参与机构（莫尔豪斯学院，斯佩尔曼学院和克拉克亚特兰大大学）允许学生每天步行到他们的研究生班和实验室。通过这种方式，学生可以同时满足自己所在院校的理学学士学位和莫尔豪斯医学院授予的神经科学硕士学位的要求。在大三和大四之间的夏天，学生们开始指导实验室工作，为他们的硕士论文做出贡献。从本科院校毕业后，这些学生将继续花10 - 11个月的时间几乎完全投入到实验研究中。在硕士期间，学士/硕士学生还与哈佛医学院神经科学项目的博士生一起参加密集的MATLAB训练营。除了提高定量分析能力，在哈佛的经历也是一个很好的拓展人脉的机会。在为期三年的课程中，为学士/硕士学生提供职业咨询。硕士学年以公开论文答辩结束，最终获得硕士学位。为了吸引来自亚特兰大大学联盟的顶尖学生，学费由该计划支付，学生还可以获得在实验室工作时间的津贴。这一经历有望增加少数族裔学生在职业道路上取得成功的可能性，如科学家博士、医学博士、内科科学家博士，或对神经病学、神经外科或其他领域感兴趣的医生，他们可以参与研究或轻松与研究人员合作。