Investigating Neurosciences, a Summer Program to Ignite Research and Education (INSPIRE)

About This Grant

The goal of this NIA R25 application is to create an immersive research education program that will attract undergraduate science majors, ultimately increasing early-stage investigators pursuing research careers in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD). The rationale for this program is based on the NIA-stated need to expand the skilled AD/ADRD research workforce by providing exposure to individuals early in their careers. One of the most daunting barriers preventing expansion in AD/ADRD research is the low number individuals obtaining STEM degrees, which is attributed to a large number of individuals leaving STEM majors. Thus, retention in STEM majors should be the key focus in expanding the AD/ADRD research workforce. Data shows that participation in undergraduate research programs have profound effects on the graduation rates of STEM majors. Additionally, research programs that aim to achieve a welcoming research environment increase the rates of students entering biomedical research. Thus, the summer research education program that we are proposing, “Investigating Neurosciences, a Summer Program to Ignite Research and Education (INSPIRE),” is intentionally designed to attract early-stage undergraduates, providing them with unique training to increase their success in obtaining STEM degrees, motivate their passion for research, and prepare them with the skills and confidence to pursue AD/ADRD research careers. Furthermore, we will create a safe and supportive research training environment through deliberate efforts to achieve excellence within our program staff and mentors through training activities and in our curriculum by intentionally recruiting high-quality speakers, educators, and discussants at multiple career levels. These goals will be met through achieving the following aims: 1) Create an immersive program that will provide an authentic, open-ended AD/ADRD summer research experience for early stage undergraduates, 2) Provide undergraduates with academic skills and AD/ADRD-neuroscience specific learning opportunities, and 3) Expose undergraduates to pathways for multiple AD/ADRD research careers. A large component of INSPIRE is to reach undergraduates who are unlikely to have exposure to transformative undergraduate research opportunities or are unaware of the benefits of such programs. Thus, the program will have extensive outreach, advertising and recruiting efforts at local and regional higher education institutions with neuroscience programs that lack extensive research opportunities.