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.

生物医学科学劳动力的多样化对美国具有高度的战略重要性。事实证明，劳动力的多样性增加了思维的多样性，提高了创造力，加快了进步。此外，随着未来30年美国人口多样性的增加，我们将需要一支多元化的劳动力队伍，以跟上健康和生物医学科学工作的需求。亚特兰大大学联盟的神经科学学士/硕士项目有一个长期目标，即增加神经科学领域中代表性不足的少数群体的比例和成功。这项助学金申请的基本假设是，如果学生在大学学术生涯早期接触到神经科学研究，将会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的神经科学背景，并给他们在批判性思维和量化思维以及实验设计方面的宝贵经验。人数不足的少数族裔学生在二年级接近尾声时被录取到这个双学位项目。作为大三和大四的学生，学生们在莫尔豪斯医学院攻读严格的研究生水平的神经科学核心课程，同时还在他们的本科院校就读。亚特兰大大学联盟的参与机构(莫尔豪斯学院、斯佩尔曼学院和克拉克亚特兰大大学)距离莫尔豪斯医学院很近，学生每天都可以步行到他们的研究生班和实验室。通过这种方式，学生可以同时满足所在机构的理科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。在初三和高三之间的暑假，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致力于板凳研究。在硕士学年期间，MBA/MS学生还与哈佛医学院神经科学项目的初级博士学生一起参加了一个密集的MatLab训练营。除了磨练量化技能之外，哈佛的经历也是一个很好的人脉机会。MBA/MS学生的职业咨询贯穿整个三年制项目。硕士学年以公共论文答辩结束，最终获得硕士学位。为了吸引亚特兰大大学联盟的顶尖学生，该项目支付学费，学生在实验室工作的时间还会获得津贴。这一经历有望增加少数族裔学生在职业生涯中取得成功的可能性，这些学生可以成为博士科学家、医学博士、内科博士科学家，或者对神经学、神经外科或其他他们可以参与研究或轻松与研究人员合作的领域感兴趣的内科医生。