South Carolina Initiative for Minority Student Development

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的南加州大学IMSD计划的本科部分将寻求建立在我们现有的计划，通过提供代表性不足的少数民族（URM）学生更广泛的接触生物医学研究比可以在一个单一的本科夏季实验室轮换获得。IMSD计划将通过为少数民族学生提供在生物医学研究实验室担任研究助理两三年的机会，同时为研究生院做准备，来提高合格URM申请人的水平。谁完成了USC IMSD计划的本科部分，从他们的导师的强烈建议，谁拥有3.0或更高的本科GPA的学生将被保证进入在南加州大学生物医学科学的研究生课程之一录取。合作的HBCU将为我们的研究生课程和USC PREP课程提供额外的申请人。IMSD本科生，完成PREP课程的学生，以及来自HBCU的合格学生将提供USC IMSD研究生课程的核心。IMSD研究生课程将开始与研究生过渡计划在7月，使IMSD学生充分准备在8月开始他们的研究生课程工作。此外，IMSD项目将在研究生项目的第一年为参与者提供研究生研究助教奖学金，并将在研究生培训期间支付最多4年的学费。南加州大学IMSD计划的具体目标是：（1）招募合格的代表性不足的少数民族本科生参加资助的生物医学研究计划，在他们的本科生涯的其余部分。(2)为了提高IMSD参与者的研究技能，通过工作作为本科研究助理在指导的关系与教师和研究生或博士后研究员。 (3)帮助学生在南加州大学和其他研究社区的同行和教师之间建立关系，使学生有明确的职业目标和帮助他们实现目标的支持系统。(4)提供从USC和合作HBCU的本科科学课程到USC生物医学研究生课程的平稳过渡。 该计划的成功将增加生物医学研究领域科学家的多样性。这种增加的多样性将为研究问题提供一个更加平衡的视角，并有助于解决纠正健康差距的问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The undergraduate component of the proposed USC IMSD program will seek to build on our already existing programs by offering underrepresented minority (URM) students a more extensive exposure to biomedical research than can be obtained during a single undergraduate summer laboratory rotation. The IMSD program will increase the level of qualified URM applicants to our graduate programs by offering minority students the opportunity to work as research assistants for two or three years in biomedical research laboratories while preparing for Graduate School. Students who complete the undergraduate portion of the USC IMSD program with a strong recommendation from their mentor and who have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher will be guaranteed admission into one of the graduate programs in the biomedical sciences at USC. The cooperating HBCUs will provide additional applicants to our graduate programs and to the USC PREP program. The IMSD undergraduates, students completing the PREP program, and well qualified students from the HBCUs will provide the core of the USC IMSD graduate program. The IMSD graduate program will begin with a graduate transition program in July so that the IMSD students are fully prepared for the start of their graduate course work in August. In addition, the IMSD program will provide participants with a graduate research assistantship during the first year of their graduate program and will pay their tuition for up to 4 years during their graduate training. The specific goals of the USC IMSD program are: (1) To recruit qualified underrepresented minority undergraduates to participate in funded biomedical research programs throughout the remainder of their undergraduate careers. (2) To improve research skills of IMSD participants through work as undergraduate research assistants in mentored relationships with both a faculty member and a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. (3) To help the students establish relationships among peers and faculty at USC and elsewhere in the research community so that the students have well-defined career goals and a support system that helps them achieve their goals. (4) To provide a smooth transition from undergraduate science programs at USC and the cooperating HBCUs to biomedical graduate programs at USC. The success of this program will increase the diversity of scientists with careers in biomedical research. This increased diversity will provide a more balanced perspective on research issues and contribute toward solutions for the correction of health disparities.