U-Rise at the University of New Mexico

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ABSTRACT The Undergraduate Research Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) at the University of New Mexico is a two-year program that integrates mentoring, research, and academics to train and prepare undergraduate students from underrepresented minorities (URM) and groups (URG) for doctoral programs (and ultimately careers) in biomedical research. Specifically, the U-RISE at UNM goals are to: 1) Increase the number of students from biomedically-relevant majors involved in research programs as undergraduates, 2) Encourage URM students to enter graduate research degree programs, and 3) Recruit and prepare U-RISE scholars for graduate school and research careers through an integrated mentoring and training program that will enhance academic and research skills. Key measurable outcomes include that 100% of U-RISE scholars will graduate within two years of joining U-RISE and at least 80% of our scholars will matriculate into doctoral programs (PhD or MD/PhD) within 3 years of graduation. Thirty scholars will be recruited over five years from the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics, Psychology and the School of Engineering at the end of their sophomore years. Criteria for scholar selection will include, but are not limited to GPA (typically > 3.2), underrepresented status, and a desire to pursue a career in biomedical research. Other factors that would suggest that a student would excel in the program, graduate school and beyond, will also be considered. Students will participate in authentic research experiences with one of our 26 mentors from across the UNM campus. Required and elective courses will strengthen writing and quantitative/computational skills and provide training in methods to enhance data rigor and reproducibility, and responsible conduct in research. Professional development training and mentoring will contribute to scholar success. At the same time, the U- RISE at UNM program will improve undergraduate experiences overall through improvements in advising, curriculum, and dissemination of information about opportunities for undergraduate research and graduate school. Evaluation of the U-RISE scholars, mentors, and pack leaders will be performed each year and student success will be followed for fifteen years after graduation to determine the success of each program element, to identify areas for improvement, and to disseminate information about successes and challenges for the program.