A Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Neuroscience at an HBCU

HBCU的神经科学夏季本科生研究项目-本提案是为了更新我们的R25资助，支持神经科学夏季本科生研究项目。我们的本科研究项目的组织中心是特拉华神经科学研究中心，这是一个跨学科、跨机构的虚拟中心，现在已经是获得NIGMS生物医学研究卓越中心（COBRE）资助的第8个年头。在特拉华州立大学（DSU）， 12名外部资助的教师调查员隶属于特拉华神经科学研究中心，另外14名隶属于特拉华大学（UD）的教师参加中心赞助的会议、静修、专题讨论会和专业发展研讨会。我们的暑期本科生神经科学研究项目（SUN-R）的本科生研究人员是神经科学研究中心的一部分，与附属教师一起开展研究项目，并参加中心的活动和专业发展机会。我们的项目针对的是来自DSU和附近其他学院和大学的学生，这些学院和大学为大量少数民族提供服务。这将使我们能够招收不同的学生群体，并在为期10周的暑期课程结束后，将他们作为一个支持性的、以研究为重点的社区的一部分。作为一所历史悠久的黑人大学，近80%的本科生是代表性不足的群体的成员，约65%是非洲裔美国人，DSU有能力为代表性不足的学生提供一个支持性的环境。我们的合作学校包括：韦斯利学院，这是一所文理学院，距离DSU仅3英里，本科入学率约为50%；特拉华技术与社区学院（DTCC），该校36%的学生来自弱势群体；而威德纳大学（Widener University）位于宾夕法尼亚州切斯特（Chester）的特拉华州附近，有大约25%的未被充分代表的学生。专注于在我们这个小州和附近的机构就读的学生，可以让我们的SUN-R学者在暑期项目结束后继续参与我们的神经科学中心。我们项目的学生参加为期10周的暑期研究体验，与隶属于特拉华神经科学研究中心的教职员工一起工作，他们每周参加专业发展会议，每两周参加一次“像科学家一样思考”会议，旨在培养学生的科学素养和解决问题和阅读科学文章的技能。夏季课程结束后，许多学生参加神经科学中心主办的研讨会，务虚会，专题讨论会和专业发展机会，贯穿整个夏季和下一学年。在我们项目的前四年，我们的56名参与者中超过66%是STEM中代表性不足的群体的成员。在完成暑期课程的54名学生中，30人获得了学士学位，9人继续攻读STEM领域的硕士或博士学位，23人仍在攻读STEM领域的学士学位。我们的课程将高质量的研究经验与参与以神经科学为重点的社区和技能培养活动相结合，有助于培养参与者的准备和热情，以获得STEM学士学位，并在生物医学和行为研究相关领域攻读博士学位。五年的续签将使我们继续取得成功。

A Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Neuroscience at an HBCU - This proposal is for a renewal of our R25 grant supporting a summer undergraduate research program in neuroscience. The organizing center of our undergraduate research program is the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, an interdisciplinary, inter- institutional, virtual Center now in its 8th year of support from a Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant from NIGMS. At Delaware State University (DSU), 12 externally funded faculty investigators are affiliated with Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, and another 14 affiliated faculty at the University of Delaware (UD) take part in Center-sponsored meetings, retreats, symposia and professional development workshops. The undergraduate researchers in our Summer Undergraduate Neuroscience Research Program (SUN-R) program is part of the Center for Neuroscience Research, carrying out research projects with affiliated faculty and participating in Center activities and professional development opportunities. Our project targets students from DSU and other nearby colleges and universities that serve large minority populations. This will allow us to recruit a diverse group of students and maintain them as part of a supportive, research- focused community beyond the length of the 10-week summer program. As an Historically Black University in which almost 80% of undergraduates are members of under-represented groups and about 65% are African-American, DSU is well-positioned to provide a supportive environment for under-represented students. Our partner schools include: Wesley College, a liberal arts college just 3 miles from DSU which has an undergraduate enrollment that is approximately 50% minority; the Delaware Technical and Community College (DTCC), which has an enrollment in which 36% of the students are from underrepresented groups; and Widener University in just over the state line from Delaware in Chester, Pennsylvania with about 25% underrepresented students. Focusing on students attending institutions within our small state and nearby allows us to keep our SUN-R scholars involved in our Neuroscience Center after the end of the summer program. Students in our program participate in a 10-week summer research experience working with faculty members affiliated with the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, they are engaged in weekly professional development sessions and biweekly “Think Like a Scientist” sessions designed to develop students’ scientific literacy and skills at problems solving and reading scientific articles. After the summer program many students participate in Neuroscience Center-sponsored seminars, retreats, symposia and professional development opportunities through the summer and the following academic year. In the first four years of our program over 66% of our 56 participants were members of groups under- represented in STEM. Of the 54 students who completed our summer program, 30 have graduated with a BS degree, 9 have gone on to MS or PhD programs in STEM, and 23 are still pursuing STEM BS degrees. Our program combining a high quality research experience with participation in a neuroscience-focused community and skill-building activities has helped to build participants’ preparation and enthusiasm for graduating with a STEM BS degree and pursuing a PhD in areas related to biomedical and behavioral research. A five-year renewal will allow us to continue that success.