A Neuroscience-Focused Undergraduate Research Program at an HBCU

 描述(由申请人提供我们的R25项目专注于从代表不足的群体中招募本科生，并将他们整合到一个充满活力的神经科学研究人员社区中。学生将与拥有外部资助的活跃实验室的教职员工一起进行研究，还将参加由特拉华州神经科学研究中心赞助的学术、外展和专业发展活动。我们的项目将面向来自特拉华州三所高等教育机构的学生，这些机构服务于大量少数族裔人口，使我们能够招收多样化的学生群体，并在为期11周的暑期项目结束后，将他们保持在一个支持性、专注于研究的社区的一部分。我们R25项目的组织中心将是特拉华州神经科学研究中心，这是一个跨学科、跨机构的虚拟中心，成立于2012年，得到了NIGMS的资助。特拉华州神经科学研究中心通过为他们的研究和腾出教学时间提供大量资金，为DSU的10名研究人员正在进行的研究项目提供支持。密歇根州立大学、密歇根州立大学和内穆尔大学的另外14名附属教员参加了中心主办的会议、务虚会、研讨会和专业发展研讨会。我们R25项目的本科生研究人员将成为神经科学研究中心的一部分，与附属教师一起开展研究项目，参与中心的活动和职业发展机会，包括在特拉华州年度神经科学研讨会上发表演讲，以及前往全国本科生研究会议。作为一所历史悠久的黑人大学，密歇根州立大学的本科生大约有78%是非洲裔美国人，该校处于有利地位，可以为代表不足的学生提供支持环境。我们将与卫斯理学院(Wesley College)和特拉华州技术与社区学院(DTCC)最大的两个校区合作，这两个校区总共有16,000多名学生，其中36%是代表不足的少数族裔。卫斯理是一所文理学院，距离密歇根州立大学只有3英里，本科生中约有50%是少数族裔。专注于在我们这个小州的机构就读的学生，使我们的研究学者能够在暑期计划结束后继续参与与神经科学相关的活动。通过将高质量的研究体验与参与以神经科学为重点的社区和旨在帮助学生像科学家一样思考的技能培养活动相结合，DSU SN-R计划将帮助参与者为获得STEM学士学位和攻读STEM领域的博士学位做好准备并培养他们的热情。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant Our R25 project focuses on recruiting undergraduates from underrepresented groups and integrating them into a vibrant community of neuroscience researchers. Students will conduct research with faculty who have active labs with external funding, and will also participate in academic, outreach and professional development activities sponsored by the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research. Our project will target students from three Delaware institutions of higher education that serve large minority populations, allowing us to recruit a diverse group of students and maintain them as part of a supportive, research-focused community beyond the length of the 11-week summer program. The organizing center of our R25 project will be the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, virtual Center founded in 2012 with support from a grant frm NIGMS. The Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research supports the ongoing research projects of 10 investigators at DSU by providing significant funds for their research and release time from teaching. Another 14 affiliated faculty at DSU, UD and Nemours take part in Center-sponsored meetings, retreats and symposia, professional development workshops. The undergraduate researchers in our R25 program will be a part of the Center for Neuroscience Research, carrying out research projects with affiliated faculty and participating in Center activities and professional development opportunities, including presenting at the annual Delaware Neuroscience Symposium and traveling to a national undergraduate research conference. As an Historically-Black University with an undergraduate enrollment that is approximately 78% African-American, DSU is well-positioned to provide a supportive environment for under-represented students. We will partner with Wesley College, a liberal arts college just 3 miles from DSU which has an undergraduate enrollment that is approximately 50% minority, and the two largest campuses of the Delaware Technical and Community College (DTCC), which combined have just over 16,000 students, 36% of which are underrepresented minorities. Focusing on students attending institutions within our small state allows us to keep our research scholars involved in the neuroscience-related events beyond the length of the summer program. By combining a high quality research experience with participation in a neuroscience-focused community and skill-building activities designed to help students think like a scientist, the DSU SN-R program will help build participants preparation and enthusiasm for graduating with a STEM BS degree and pursuing a doctorate in a STEM area.