South Carolina Post-Baccalaureate Research Program

描述（由申请人提供）：许多有才华的少数民族学生有能力在生物医学科学博士项目中取得好成绩，但要么他们没有必要的背景，要么他们的证书不能反映他们的能力。为了让聪明、代表性不足的少数族裔学生更深入、更长久地接触到生物医学科学，南卡罗来纳大学建立了一个预科项目，通过为少数族裔学生提供在生物医学研究实验室全职工作的机会，增加了符合条件的URM生物医学博士项目申请人的数量，同时为研究生院做准备。迄今为止，已有13名PREP学者被生物医学博士项目录取。PREP计划的具体目标是：1)招募具有生物医学相关领域的学士学位和强烈承诺进入生物医学科学博士课程的合格URs。2)通过与教师和研究生/博士后的指导关系，积极参与实验室研究，提高PREP学者的研究技能。3)通过实践培训、特殊课程、参加研讨会和期刊俱乐部，提高所有学者的分析、英语和定量技能，使所有预科学者都有竞争力被一个受人尊敬的研究生项目录取为博士生。4)帮助学者在南加州大学和其他研究界的同行和教师之间建立关系，使PREP学者有明确的职业目标和强大的支持网络。5)帮助预科学者建立必要的证书，以接受高质量的生物医学科学博士课程。南加州大学PREP的目标是，至少75%的学者将被这样一个项目接受，至少80%的学者将获得生物医学科学博士学位。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many talented minority students have the ability to do well in a biomedical science Ph. D. program, but either they do not have the necessary background or their credentials do not reflect their abilities. To provide deeper and longer exposure of bright, underrepresented minority students to biomedical science, the University of South Carolina established a PREP program that has increased the number of qualified URM applicants to biomedical Ph. D. programs by offering minority students the opportunity to work full-time in biomedical research laboratories while preparing for graduate school. To date 13 PREP scholars have been accepted into biomedical Ph. D. programs. The specific goals of the PREP program are: 1) To recruit qualified URs who have both a recent baccalaureate degree in a bio-medically relevant field and a strong commitment to obtaining entrance into a Ph. D. program in the biomedical sciences. 2) To improve research skills of PREP scholars through active laboratory participation in a mentored relationship with a faculty member and with graduate students/postdoctoral fellows. 3) To improve the analytical, English and quantitative skills of all scholars through hands on training, special course offerings, and participation in seminars and journal clubs so that all PREP scholars are competitive for acceptance to a well-respected graduate program as a doctoral student. 4) To help the scholars establish relationships among peers and faculty at USC and elsewhere in the research community so that the PREP scholar has well-defined career goals and a strong support network. 5) To help the PREP Scholars establish the credentials necessary for acceptance into a high quality biomedical science Ph. D. program. The goal of USC PREP is that at least 75% of the scholars will be accepted by such a program and that at least 80% will earn Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Minority groups are generally under-represented among scientists who are conducting biomedical research. However, research benefits from interactions among scientists with diverse perspectives. Therefore, increasing the pool of well-trained minority scientists will greatly benefit biomedical research.