UAB PREP Scholars Program

描述（由申请人提供）：亚拉巴马大学伯明翰分校（UAB）是一所综合性研究型大学和医学综合体，2011年NIH资助的研究经费为2.24亿美元。UAB坚定地致力于培养来自不同背景的本科生和研究生，包括代表性不足的少数民族，来自弱势背景的学生和残疾学生。UAB已经建立并支持了几个项目，以帮助这些学生实现他们的职业目标。一些潜在的研究生在他们的本科生涯中太晚才决定攻读博士学位。这些学生可能已经获得学士学位，但不具备进入顶级生物医学研究生课程的资格，而在这些课程中，先前的研究经验和高标准化考试成绩是入学的基本标准。我们已经确定了几个潜在的人才库，可以从中招募这些学生。我们的PREP计划将继续提供机会，这些学生谁需要加强他们的资格进入博士教育。基于我们过去的成就（8/11过去的学者现在就读于博士研究生课程），UAB提供了一个肥沃的培训基地，准备进入最具竞争力的研究生培训课程的PREP学者。我们的总体目标是每年招收8名学生，并为他们提供NIH资助导师实验室的高质量研究经验和多种学术充实机会，使他们能够有竞争力地进入顶尖NIH资助机构的生物医学研究生课程。学生将与他们的导师一起开发一个具有挑战性的研究项目，他们将花费80%或更多的时间。还将为每个学生设计个人发展计划（IDP），以解决可能影响未来研究生学业成功的任何学术弱点。IDP将提供活动，以加强写作和定量技能， 提供职业信息，发展演讲技巧，讨论研究道德，并在科学会议上与同行建立联系，如少数民族学生年度生物医学研究会议。PREP学者在实现IDP目标方面的进展将至少每季度与恩格勒博士及其研究导师会面。该计划还将为学者提供与研究生和学生组织（如黑人研究生协会）互动的机会，以建立社区意识和对学者的支持。我们预计，继续在UAB已经成功的PREP学者计划将增加少数民族申请人谁是进入顶级博士课程做好准备的数量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a comprehensive research university and medical complex with $224 million of NIH-funded research in 2011. UAB has a strong commitment to training undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented minorities, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and students with disabilities. UAB has established and supported several programs to help such students meet their career goals. Some potential graduate students make a decision to pursue doctoral education too late in their undergraduate career. These students may have already attained their baccalaureate degrees, but do not have the credentials for entry into top biomedical graduate programs where prior research experience and high standardized test scores are essential criteria for admittance. We have identified several potential pools from which to recruit such students. Our PREP program will continue to provide opportunities to these students who need to strengthen their credentials for entry into doctoral education. Based on our past accomplishments (8/11 past scholars now enrolled in doctoral graduate programs), UAB provides a fertile training ground to prepare PREP scholars for entry into the most competitive graduate training programs. Our overall goal is to recruit 8 students per year and to provide them a high quality research experience in the laboratories of NIH-funded mentors and multiple academic enrichment opportunities to equip them to be competitive for entry into biomedical graduate programs at top NIH-funded institutions. The students will work with their mentors to develop a challenging research project at which they will spend 80% or more of their time. An individual development plan (IDP) will also be designed for each student, to address any academic weaknesses that might affect success in future graduate attainment. The IDP will provide activities to strengthen writing and quantitative skills, provide career information, develop presentation skills, discuss research ethics, and foster networking with peers at scientific meetings, such as the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. The PREP Scholar's progress toward meeting the goals of their IDP will be monitored at least quarterly in meetings with Dr. Engler and their research mentor. The program will also provide opportunities for the scholars to interact with graduate students and student organizations (such as the Black Graduate Student Association), to build a sense of community and support for the scholars. We expect that continuing the already successful PREP Scholars program at UAB will increase the number of minority applicants who are well prepared for entry into top doctoral programs.