University of Kansas/Haskell Indian Nations University IRCDA Project

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Kansas (KU), in partnership with Haskell Indian Nations University, seeks continuation of the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA). The program combines carefully mentored research training at KU, a research intensive university, with the opportunity for inspiring faculty with a strong interest in working with minority students to develop teaching skills in a very unique minority-serving institution, i.e. a tribal college. The award will support a total of ten postdoctoral IRACDA scholars, each of whom will spend three years in a carefully designed program that includes three major training activities. Applicants admitted to the program will select a research mentor with expertise in the scholar's discipline. In Year 1, the scholars begin their research projects in the mentors' laboratories, take a course in Responsible Conduct of Research, participate in teaching workshops provided at KU, and are introduced to the Haskell faculty and the culture of the institution. The most productive and successful KU faculty members across a wide range of biomedical disciplines will serve as research mentors for the scholars. In the first semester of Year 2, each scholar will team-teach two sections of introductory biology under the guidance of a Haskell faculty member and, in the second semester, the scholar will teach an upper level class or seminar in his/her specialty area. The scholars will also continue to work on their research projects as they gain teaching and multi-tasking experience. In Year 3, scholars focus on their research and enroll in a 15 week Grant Writing Program leading to the preparation of a complete proposal. The PI will oversee the quality of the scholars' research experience at KU. The Co-l, KU's Director of the Office for Diversity in Science Training, will work closely with the Dean of Math and Science at Haskell, who will oversee the Haskell teaching experience, to ensure that the systematic teaching enhancement and mentoring activities at KU are well coordinated with the teaching experience. The involvement of the Dean will assure that the scholars become aware of the specific cultural needs of American Indian students. An external evaluator familiar with the MORE programs has been contracted to conduct both formative and summative evaluation on an annual basis. In summary, this KU / Haskell IRACDA program exploits the unique collaborative network that has been established between a tribal college and a research intensive university to train a new type of scientist, one that is equipped to handle the growing ethnic, cultural and social diversity of the 21st century.