Bridge to the Doctoral Degress: University of Puerto Ri*

描述(由申请人提供)：这项建议旨在更新“博士学位的桥梁：UPR到UMDNJ”，它一直在帮助未被充分代表的少数民族(URM)研究生从波多黎各大学马亚圭兹校区的生物学硕士课程过渡到UMDNJ生物医学研究生院(GSBS)的分子生物科学博士课程。这些博士项目代表了UMDNJ-GSBS和邻近的罗格斯大学--新泽西州立大学(RU)之间的合作努力。UPR-Mayaguez的生物学硕士项目的学生主要是波多黎各人，但该项目不包括为学生成为生物医学科学高级研究人员做准备的博士项目。然而，UPR-Mayaguez在其他机构培养优秀的博士候选人方面有着长期的记录，包括UMDNJ-GSBS，Piscataway和RU。为了促进普遍定期审议--马亚圭兹分校理科硕士候选人的过渡，设立了这一为期三年的方案，其中包括在普遍定期审议--马亚吉兹分校进行一年的课程学习，然后在普遍定期审议--马亚圭兹分校进行课程学习和研究。完成这一桥梁项目的学生获得UPR的硕士学位，并以较高的地位进入UMDNJ-GSBS的博士项目，与现有的UMDNJ-罗格斯大学管道项目相结合，该项目支持URM博士候选人在最初几年的学习。现在已经是第六年了，我们已经招收了11名学生。在这些人中，有8人正在攻读硕士或博士学位。三名学生已经成功进入博士阶段，其中两名学生目前处于论文工作的高级水平。其他四人正处于大师赛阶段。在该项目的5年中，有4名学生在第一年或第二年开始时离开了该项目；其中一人在其他地方攻读博士学位，另一人进入了波多黎各的医学院。我们继续修改计划，以处理招募和选择合适的学生、在Mayaguez准备、从Mayaguez转到Piscataway期间的适应以及Piscataway的计划灵活性等问题。该项目继续为有才华的波多黎各学生增加在Mayaguez的机会，并增加UMDNJ和罗格斯大学博士项目的URM学生数量，从而扩大进入博士水平生物医学研究职业的学生范围。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks to renew the "Bridge to the Doctoral Degree: UPR to UMDNJ", which has been assisting underrepresented minority (URM) graduate students in making the transition from the M.S. Program in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus into the Ph.D. Programs in the Molecular Biosciences at UMDNJ Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS),Piscataway Campus. These Ph.D. programs represent a collaborative effort between UMDNJ-GSBS and the contiguous Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (RU). The M.S. in Biology Program at UPR-Mayaguez has a student population that is predominantly Puerto Rican, but the Program does not extend to a Ph.D. program to prepare students for careers as senior investigators in the biomedical sciences. However, UPR-Mayaguez has a long record of producing excellent candidates for the Ph.D. at other institutions, including at UMDNJ-GSBS, Piscataway and RU. To facilitate the transition of M.S. candidates at UPR-Mayaguez, this three-year Program was established, consisting of one year of course work at UPR-Mayaguez, followed by course work and research at UMDNJ. Students completing this Bridge program receive the M.S. degree from UPR and are admitted with advanced standing into the Ph.D. programs at UMDNJ-GSBS, interfacing with the existing UMDNJ-Rutgers University Pipeline Program, which supports URM candidates for the Ph.D. in their initial years of study. Now in the 6th year, we have enrolled eleven students in the program. Of these, 8 are progressing toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees. Three students have successfully bridged into the Ph.D. phase, with 2 of these now at an advanced level of their thesis work. Four others are in the Masters' phase. During the 5 years of the program, 4 students left the program in their first year or the beginning of their second year; 1 of these is in a Ph.D. program elsewhere, and one entered medical school in Puerto Rico. We continue to modify the program to deal with issues of recruitment and selection of appropriate students, preparation in Mayaguez, acclimatization during the transfer from Mayaguez to Piscataway, and program flexibility in Piscataway. This program continues to increase opportunities for talented Puerto Rican students at Mayaguez, and to increase the number of URM students in the Ph.D. program of UMDNJ and Rutgers, thereby expanding the range of students entering biomedical research careers at the Ph.D. level.