Biomedical Research Training for Minority Honor Students

描述（由申请人提供）：布鲁克林学院MARC U*STAR项目服务于一个大型和多元化的机构，学生主要由少数民族和女性组成。我们的课程目标是大幅提高国家认可的代表性不足的学生群体的兴趣，并成功地为他们进入生物医学科学博士课程做好准备。因此，我们提高了我们的学术支持和培训项目的效率，目前有13名BC MARC校友在攻读博士学位，我们的博士入学率在过去5年中有两年超过50%。我们的评估确定了改善这一记录的四大障碍：掌握“看门人”科学课程的学术技能不足；缺乏研究经验和持续的研究和职业指导；学生对科研事业缺乏熟悉，导致研究动机只是为了支持医学预科的职业道路；以及对研究生院的要求、如何申请、获得支持和完成学位缺乏认识。为了应对这些挑战，我们提出了两个雄心勃勃的计划，以改进和扩展我们目前成功的MARC和RISE活动。为期两年的MARC研究入门计划将涉及100名或更多对科学感兴趣的新生，并让他们踏上精心规划的“研究阶梯”。参加课程的学生将在每个看门人课程中获得密集的基于同伴辅助学习的学术支持。还将有一系列讨论当代生物医学研究和研究职业选择的研讨会课程。坚持不懈的学生将参加类似期刊俱乐部的研讨会，在我们的研究技术设施中接受培训，并参加小组研究项目。完成入门课程的学生将有资格申请MARC高级研究项目的研究员或助理。这些高级研究学生将在生物医学研究人员的实验室中有2年的密集研究经验，学术支持，暑期研究实习，以及口头和书面研究报告和负责任的研究行为的研讨会课程。这些活动将增加在布鲁克林学院有本科研究经验的生物医学博士的数量。我们的目标是将布鲁克林地区全国公认的弱势群体的博士入学率从目前的每年5-6人提高到每年10人，至少提高90%。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Brooklyn College MARC U*STAR program has served a large and diverse institution with a student body primarily composed of minorities and women. Our program goals are to substantially increase interest of nationally recognized under-represented groups of students and to successfully prepare them for entry into PhD programs in biomedical sciences. Accordingly, we have increased the efficacy of our academic support and training programs to the point that there are currently 13 BC MARC alumni in PhD programs, and our PhD entry rate has exceeded 50% in two of the last 5 years. Our evaluations identify 4 barriers to improvements in this record: Inadequate academic skills for mastering the "gate-keeper" science courses; lack of research experience and consistent research and career mentoring; lack of student familiarity with scientific research careers, leading to research motivation only to bolster a pre-med career path; and lack of awareness of what graduate school entails, how to apply, get support, and complete degrees. To meet these challenges, we propose two ambitious programs to improve and expand on our current successful MARC and RISE activities. The 2-year MARC Research Introduction Program will involve 100 or more incoming students with interest in science, and begin them on a carefully planned "research ladder." Participating students will have intensive Peer-Assisted Learning-based academic support for each of the gatekeeper courses. There will be also a series of seminar courses discussing contemporary biomedical research and research career options. Persisting students will move into journal-club-like seminars, training in our research techniques facility, and group research projects. Completion of the Introductory Program will qualify students to apply for acceptance in the MARC Advanced Research Program as Fellows or Associates. These advanced research students will have a 2-year intensive research experience in the lab of a biomedical researcher, academic support, summer research externships, and seminar courses in oral and written presentation of research and responsible conduct of research. These activities will increase the number of biomedical PhDs who have undergraduate research experience at Brooklyn College. Our objectives are to increase PhD entry rate of Brooklyn undergraduates from nationally recognized under-represented groups by at least 90% from its current level of 5-6 per year to 10 per year.