South Carolina Post-Baccalaureate Research Program

描述(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博士项目中取得好成绩，但他们要么没有必要的背景，要么他们的资历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、更长时间地接触生物医学科学，南卡罗来纳大学设立了一个预科项目，通过向少数族裔学生提供在准备研究生期间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申请生物医学博士课程的人数。到目前为止，已有13名预科学者被生物医学博士项目录取。Prep计划的具体目标是：1)招聘具有生物医学相关领域的最新学士学位和坚定地致力于进入生物医学博士计划的合格的URR。2)通过积极参与实验室与教员和研究生/博士后研究员的指导关系，提高预科学者的研究技能。3)通过动手培训、开设特殊课程、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备受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社区的同行和教职员工之间建立关系，使预科学者有明确的职业目标和强大的支持网络。5)帮助预备学者建立进入高质量生物医学科学博士项目所需的资格证书。南加州大学预科计划的目标是至少75%的学者将被这样的项目接受，至少80%的人将获得生物医学科学的博士学位。 公共卫生相关性：在进行生物医学研究的科学家中，少数群体的代表性普遍不足。然而，研究受益于具有不同视角的科学家之间的互动。因此，增加训练有素的少数民族科学家队伍将极大地有利于生物医学研究。

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.