MBRS-IMSD Program at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Cen

描述(申请人提供)：2004年，科罗拉多大学健康科学中心将其校区与科罗拉多大学丹佛市中心校区合并，成为科罗拉多大学丹佛健康科学中心(UCDHSC)。由于拥有大量少数民族和少数族裔人口的城市高中必须应对无数影响基本成绩和学术水平的文化和社会问题，具有潜在天赋和能力的学生往往得不到来自较富裕郊区学区的学生所提供的智力支持。我们将通过为有前途的学生提供一个旨在加强他们的基本技能、提高他们的学术资历并激发他们对科学的热情的项目来进行干预。我们的目标是(1)提供暑期科学学院，旨在改善基本数学、科学或语言技能的不足；(2)使用补充教学来提高留存能力，使至少80%的参与者能够在看门人课程中取得成功；(3)通过分子生物学技术的实践培训和系统生物学(蛋白质组学、基因组学和生物信息学)的高级培训，为学生的研究生涯做好准备；(4)通过提供学习技能、时间管理、图书馆研究技能、科学/技术写作、批评文献回顾、伦理学和有效沟通的研讨会，为学生的研究生涯做准备；(5)为选定的一组参与者提供学生研究人员的工作，解决特别侧重于疾病的研究问题，包括艾滋病毒、糖尿病、心脏病和其他对少数族裔人口影响不成比例的疾病(每年9个学年每周15小时，暑期每周40小时)；(6)通过提供GRE准备课程和指导学生撰写研究生院论文，导航申请过程和发展面试技能，使100%的参与学生申请研究生课程，65%的学生被研究生院项目录取；以及(7)为选定的一批学生提供必要的支持，使他们能够在研究生院完成必修课程并申请博士前奖学金；90%的学生将及时完成他们的论文项目。 UCDHSC的教职员工以及研究生、研究员和高年级学生将作为同行导师、补充教学辅导员或导师参加拟议的课程/讲习班/学院。校长、教务长、院长和副校长已承诺为支持该计划提供资金，并将在必要时为高素质候选人提供超出申请预算的额外名额。评估、过程和结果评价将使用课程和评价副院长开发的工具进行。我们将使用一个新实施的跟踪系统来衡量IMSD项目在提高学生参与者对生物医学研究的兴趣以及他们成功进入博士跟踪项目方面的影响。由于拥有大量少数民族和少数族裔人口的城市高中必须应对无数影响基本成绩和学术水平的文化和社会问题，具有潜在天赋和能力的学生往往得不到来自较富裕郊区学区的学生所提供的智力支持。我们建议通过为有前途的学生提供一个旨在加强他们的基本技能、提高他们的学术资历并激发他们对科学的热情的项目来进行干预。增加来自代表性不足社区的成功生物医学研究人员的数量将为我们的队伍带来亟需的多样性，并可能鼓励对这些人群经历的健康差距的更大研究兴趣。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In 2004 the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center consolidated its campus with the University of Colorado at Denver downtown campus to become the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC). Because urban high schools with sizable populations of ethnic and racial minorities have to contend with a myriad of cultural and societal issues affecting basic achievement and academic proficiency, students with underlying talent and capability are too often not afforded the intellectual support available to students from more affluent suburban school districts. We will intervene by providing promising students with a program designed to strengthen their fundamental skills, enhance their academic credentials, and elicit their passion for science. Our objectives are (1) to provide a Summer Science Academy designed to improve any deficiencies in basic math, science, or language skills; (2) to use supplemental instruction to improve retention and enable at least 80% of participants to succeed in gatekeeper courses; (3) to prepare students for research careers via hands-on training in molecular biology techniques and advanced training in systems biology (proteomics, genomics and bioinformatics); (4) to prepare students for a research career by providing workshops in study skills, time management, library research skills, scientific/technical writing, critical literature review, ethics, and competent communication; (5) to provide a selected group of participants with employment as student researchers, addressing research problems particularly focused on diseases, including HIV, diabetes, heart disease, and others, that affect minority populations disproportionately (15 hours per week for 9 academic months per year, 40 hours per week during the summer); (6) to prepare students for graduate school by offering a GRE preparation course and guidance on writing graduate school essays, navigating the application process and developing interview skills so that 100% of participating students apply to and 65% are accepted into a graduate school program; and (7) to provide a selected group of students with the support necessary to succeed in required courses in graduate school and apply for a predoctoral fellowship; 90% will complete their dissertation project in a timely fashion. Faculty members from UCDHSC as well as graduate students, fellows and upperclassmen will participate as peer tutors, supplemental instruction facilitators or instructors in the proposed courses/ workshops/ academies. The Chancellor, Provost, Deans and Vice Chancellors have committed funds to support the program and will fund additional slots for highly qualified candidates beyond what has been budgeted in the application, if necessary. Assessment, process and outcome evaluations will be conducted using tools developed by the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Evaluation. We will employ a newly implemented tracking system to measure the impact of the IMSD program on elevating student participant interest in biomedical research and their success in gaining entry into Ph.D.-track programs. Because urban high schools with sizable populations of ethnic and racial minorities have to contend with a myriad of cultural and societal issues affecting basic achievement and academic proficiency, students with underlying talent and capability are too often not afforded the intellectual support available to students from more affluent suburban school districts. We propose to intervene by providing promising students with a program designed to strengthen their fundamental skills, enhance their academic credentials, and elicit their passion for science. Boosting the number of successful biomedical researchers from underrepresented communities will bring much needed diversity to our ranks and potentially encourage greater research interest into the health disparities experienced by these populations.