MARC at UVI: Developing a Researcher Identity

描述（由申请人提供）：维尔京群岛大学的MARC计划，为独特的少数民族人口服务，建议通过培养学生作为生物医学研究人员来促进国家的健康。为了实现这一目标，UVI将在以往成功的基础上再接再厉。在上一个资助周期中，66%的UVI MARC毕业生参加了博士课程。该提案的总体目标是75%将在毕业后直接进入博士课程。UVI将通过涉及MARC学生，MARC前学生和所有对生物医学研究职业感兴趣的UVI本科生的综合方法来实现这一改进。可衡量的目标是，该计划将：（1）提供严格的课程，培养口头和定量技能;（2）通过校外夏季研究经验和学年经验提供研究培训机会，旨在为学生提供这些机会做好准备;（3）为学生提供一个明确的职业道路，以进入高度选择性的研究型大学和成功的结构;（4）与研究密集型机构建立强有力的伙伴关系，包括T32资助的项目;（5）为UVI学生和教师建立专业网络;（6）增加学生对与美属维尔京群岛和全国少数民族社区相关的生物医学研究需求的理解。这些目标将通过一个多方面的方案来实现，包括：（1）发展教师的教学技能和新的MARC课程，旨在为学生的研究培训经验和提高竞争力做好准备，（2）校外研究培训，（2）在会议上介绍成果，（3）科学家访问，为学生提供生物医学研究研讨会，讲习班，和机会与榜样互动，扩大他们的专业网络，（4）特别研讨会，旨在提供一个明确的职业道路的步骤，（5）由UVI教师，同行和暑期研究导师的支持网络。一名新的外部评估员将进行严格的形成性和总结性评估，包括传统的评估方法和旨在将学生的发展与对照组进行比较的社会网络分析。总之，UVI MARC精心制定了一项计划，以改善其历史上成功的计划，该计划在过去10年中每年从2-3名MARC BS毕业生中培养出13名博士。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The MARC Program at the University of the Virgin Islands, which serves a unique minority population, proposes to contribute the health of the Nation by developing students as biomedical researchers. To accomplish this, UVI will build on its record of previous success. In the last funding cycle, 66% of UVI MARC graduates enrolled in doctoral programs. The overall goal of this proposal is that 75% will enroll in doctoral programs directly after graduation. UVI will achieve this improvement by a comprehensive approach involving MARC students, pre-MARC students, and all UVI undergraduates interested in biomedical research careers. The measurable objectives are that the program will: (1) provide a rigorous curriculum that develops both verbal and quantitative skills; (2) provide research training opportunities both through extramural summer research experiences and through academic year experiences designed to prepare students for these opportunities; (3) provide students with a clearly articulated career pathway to admission to highly selective research universities and a structure for success; (4) develop strong partnerships with research-intensive institutions, including T32 funded programs; (5) develop professional networks for UVI students and faculty; (6) increase the students' understanding of the biomedical research needs relevant to the U.S. Virgin Islands and minority communities nationally. These objectives will be accomplished by a multifaceted program including: (1) development of pedagogical skills of faculty and a new MARC curriculum designed to prepare students for research training experiences and increase competitiveness, (2) extramural research training, (2) presentations of results at conferences, (3) visits by scientists, providing students with biomedical research seminars, workshops, and opportunities to interact with role models and expand their professional networks, (4) special workshops designed to provide the steps in a clear career pathway, (5) a network of support by UVI faculty, peers, and summer research mentors. A new external evaluator will conduct rigorous formative and summative evaluation, including both traditional evaluation methods and social network analysis designed to compare students' development to a control group. In sum, UVI MARC has carefully developed a program to improve on its historically successful program, which produced 13 PhDs over the last 10 years from a pool of 2-3 MARC BS graduates a year.