Bridge to the Doctoral Degree: University of Puerto Rico to Rutgers University

描述(由申请人提供)：增加生物医学劳动力的多样性，特别是博士水平，预计将对国家 研究议程。一种方法是增加来自生物医学科学中代表性不足群体的学生数量，他们从理学硕士过渡到博士学位，然后完成博士学位并进入研究生涯。这项申请将通过重新聚焦和加强波多黎各大学马亚格分校(UPRM)生物系硕士项目和新泽西大学医学与牙科大学-罗伯特·伍德·约翰逊医学院生物医学研究生院博士项目之间的成功、长期的合作伙伴关系，为实现这些目标做出贡献。本申请寻求续签“从波多黎各大学到新泽西医学与牙科大学的博士学位之桥”。该项目自1998年启动以来，已经招收了29名学生，在UPR-Mayag�ez招收学生并将他们过渡到UMDNJ的博士项目方面取得了显著成功，其中许多项目是与罗格斯大学(RU)的联合项目。尽管布里奇斯的学生取得了积极的成果，但大多数教育和研究活动都是在UMDNJ/RU进行的。因此，该方案无助于开发UPRM的资源，也无助于在UPRM创造更强有力的培训环境。为了改善和扩大这一成功的伙伴关系的影响，目前的申请的目标是：(1)重组方案，使其以UPRM为中心，而不是以UMDNJ为中心，从而加强UPR-M生物系的总体硕士级培训环境、资源和课程；(2)增加参与UPR-M的学生人数，并增加过渡到博士课程的人数，特别是在UMDNJ/RU；以及(3)在我们从以前的项目设计过渡到这个修订后的结构时，保持或增加进入该项目并完成博士学位的学生的百分比。主要项目特点包括：(1)学生将在UPRM完成大部分硕士课程和论文研究，包括由UMDNJ教员通过基于网络的交流进行的新研讨会(对Bridges和非Bridges学生开放)。(2)将在UMDNJ的实验室轮换一个夏天，以补充他们的M.S.研究，并熟悉UMDNJ及其周围环境。(3)在UPRM成功完成硕士学位将允许转到UMDNJ/RU的博士课程，并在选定的博士课程中具有高级地位。拟议的计划将：增强UPR-M的能力；在UMDNJ提供更强大、更多样化的博士生群体；增加UR博士水平的科学家数量；以及加强和多样化生物/生物医学科学方面的劳动力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Increasing the diversity of the biomedical workforce, particularly at the Ph.D. level, is expected to have important and positive effects on the national research agenda. One approach is to increase the number of students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences who transition from the M.S. to the Ph.D., who then complete the Ph.D. and enter research careers. This application will contribute to these goals by refocusing and enhancing a successful, long-term partnership between the M.S. Program of the Biology Department of the University of Puerto Rico-Mayag�ez Campus (UPRM) and the Ph.D. programs at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (UMDNJ). This application seeks renewal of the "Bridge to the Doctoral Degree: University of Puerto Rico to University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey." The program, which has enrolled 29 students since its inception in 1998, has had notable success in recruiting students at UPR-Mayag�ez and transitioning them to the Ph.D. programs at UMDNJ, many of which are joint programs with Rutgers University (RU). Despite the positive outcomes for the Bridges students, most of the educational and research activities took place at UMDNJ/RU. Therefore, the program did not contribute to the development of resources at UPRM, nor to creating a stronger training environment at UPRM. To improve and expand the impact of this successful partnership, the current application has as its Aims: (1) to re-structure the program to be centered at UPRM, rather than at UMDNJ, thereby enhancing the overall Masters-level training environment, resources and curriculum in the Biology Department of UPR-M; (2) to increase the number of participating UPR-M students, and to increase the number who transition to Ph.D. programs, specifically at UMDNJ/RU; and (3) to maintain or increase the percent of students who enter the program and complete the Ph.D. as we transition from our previous program design to this revised structure. Major program features include: (1) Students will perform most of their M.S. coursework and thesis research at UPRM, including new seminars conducted via web- based communications by UMDNJ faculty (open to Bridges and non-Bridges students). (2) One summer will be spent in a laboratory rotation at UMDNJ, to complement their M.S. research, and become familiar with UMDNJ and environs. (3) Successful completion of the M.S. at UPRM will permit transfer to the Ph.D. programs of UMDNJ/RU with advanced standing in a chosen Ph.D. program. The proposed program will: enhance the capabilities of UPR-M; provide a stronger, more diverse Ph.D. student population at UMDNJ; increase the number of UR scientists at the Ph.D. level; and strengthen and diversify the workforce in the biological/biomedical sciences.