Summer Multicultural Advanced Research Training (SMART)

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a competitive renewal of the Short-Term Research Training for Increasing Diversity in Health-Related Research (R25) that we entitled, }Summer Multicultural Advanced Research Training (SMART)}. This proposal continues a highly successful effort to encourage and recruit underrepresented and disadvantaged undergraduate students to pursue careers in the biomedical sciences by providing a ten week summer traineeship in a research environment that focuses on health disparities and chronic diseases that affect minority populations (e.g. cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and glaucoma). This program involves a multidisciplinary approach incorporating faculty from among the biomedical science division of the health science center. Trainees attend workshops and lectures on: Responsible Conduct of Research including issues on scientific misconduct, plagiarism, laboratory safety and practice, Animal handling and Animal Rights. Students will take a class on }Introduction to Cardiovascular Science} and receive two hours of credit toward their degrees at their home institutions. Each student selects a research mentor from the participating faculty after reviewing their research programs and listening to faculty presentations. Students and faculty design and plan a research project that can be accomplished within the ten-week period. All students must complete an abstract suitable for submission and presentation at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) that is held each Fall. Students gain experience in: 1) generating a hypothesis; 2) testing their hypothesis through research experimentation; 3) using new research methodology; 4) evaluating and analyzing data using computer techniques, and 5) presenting their findings in a written abstract and oral presentation at the end of the training period. The overall effect of these activities is to create a sense of becoming a member of the scientific research community. This sense is furthered by student participation in their mentor's research group and departmental weekly seminar meetings. A Role Model Seminar is also presented as a part of this summer experience. Students and faculty mentors each evaluate the program and each other at the end of the program. An external evaluator is used to help assess the program process as well as program outcomes. Students will be tracked throughout their participation in the program and after by formal mailed questionnaires, email follow- ups and the use of a list serve. Students will be recruited to return to the McNair summer program, if still eligible, and for entry into graduate school. Program success will ultimately be measured by the numbers of students who enter biomedical science graduate programs and research as a career. RESEARCH & RELATED Other Project Information 7. Project Narrative This program entitled, "Summer Multicultural Advanced Research Training" or SMART is part of an overall effort by our institution to increase the numbers of underrepresented and disadvantaged students into masters and doctoral programs in biomedical sciences. It is a ten week summer research training experience with specific emphasis on research career development in cardiovascular and related disorders. They will be in research laboratories most of their time, attend workshops on responsible conduct of research and attend a weekly course on cardiovascular science. (End of Abstract)