University of Washington ENDURE

神经系统疾病给社会带来了现有的和日益严重的情感和经济负担。神经科学研究对于发现治疗这些疾病的新疗法和治疗方法至关重要。考虑到这一目标，我们必须培养代表美国社会的研究科学家，包括少数民族、经济弱势群体和残疾人。少数族裔在科学技术领域的代表性不足，部分原因是少数族裔学生未能进入或离开从STEM大学教育开始，然后在科学相关领域继续研究生院的道路。华盛顿大学通过本科生研究教育体验增强神经科学多样性(UW-Endure)计划将利用NIH蓝图计划，通过让他们接触华盛顿大学神经科学领域的夏季和学年指导研究经验，帮助普吉特湾地区的社区大学生过渡到研究生研究职业生涯。我们的第一个具体目标将是每年从代表性不足的背景中招募8名本科生参加学年和夏季研究以及神经科学领域的培训。我们的第二个具体目标是确保每一名被录取的学生都被纳入威斯康星大学神经科学实验室的研究计划，并成为一整套教育和指导机会的一部分，包括暑期研讨会和学年课程，以及从他们在威斯康星大学耐力阶段开始到他们完成计划后持续一年的一对一指导计划。最后，我们的第三个具体目标是彻底评估UW-Endure对学生的量化技能和对神经科学原理的理解的直接影响，以及对学生申请和进入竞争激烈的STEM毕业生职业生涯的成功影响。普吉特湾地区代表着社区大学STEM职业生涯中代表性不足的少数族裔和像威斯康星州大学这样的顶级神经科学研究机构的理想组合。UW-Endure将利用这一情景，帮助未被充分代表的少数族裔过渡到并保持在令人着迷的神经科学研究领域。

Diseases of the nervous system represent an existing and growing emotional and economic burden to society. Neuroscientific research is critical to the discovery of new therapies and treatments for these disorders. With this goal in mind, it is imperative that we train research scientists who represent US society, including ethnic minorities, people from economically disadvantaged groups and people with disabilities. Underrepresentation of minorities in science and technology emerges in part from the fact that underrepresented minority students either fail to enter or leave the pathway that starts with a STEM college education and continues with graduate school in science-related fields. The University of Washington Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (UW-ENDURE) program will capitalize on the NIH Blueprint Program to help community college students in the Puget Sound region transition into graduate research careers by exposing them to summer and academic-year mentored research experiences in the field of neuroscience at the University of Washington. Our first Specific Aim will be to recruit each year 8 undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds to participate in academic-year and summer research as well as training in the field of neuroscience. Our second Specific Aim to assure that each recruited student is incorporated into the research program of a neuroscience laboratory within the UW, and is part of a comprehensive set of educational and mentoring opportunities including summer workshops and academic-year courses, and a one-on-one mentoring plan that starts during their stage at UW-ENDURE and continues for year after their completion of the Program. Finally, our third Specific Aim is to thoroughly evaluate UW-ENDURE’s immediate impact on students’ quantitative skills and understanding of neuroscience principles, and on the students’ success in applying to and entering competitive STEM graduate careers. The Puget Sound region represents an ideal combination of underrepresented minorities in STEM careers within community colleges and a top neuroscience research institution like the UW. UW-ENDURE will capitalize on this scenario to help underrepresented minorities transition into and remain in the fascinating world of neuroscience research.