MARC at the University of Rhode Island

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY In this application, we seek to continue and enhance the MARC U*STAR program at the University of Rhode Island (URI). This program has had a major positive impact on the career development of our high-achieving underrepresented (UR) STEM students, with 70% (11 of 16) of our trainees matriculating into competitive graduate programs in the biomedical sciences to date. The program has also been instrumental in creating a diverse community of student biomedical scientists at URI, united by a strong sense of belonging and an enthusiasm for scientific discovery. Our institutional self-assessment provides compelling justification for an undergraduate research training program for underrepresented students at URI: 4-year graduation rates for underrepresented (UR) students (33%) continue to lag behind that for well-represented (WR) students (49%). Furthermore, rates of matriculation into advanced biomedical degree programs for UR students (15%) also continue to lag behind that for WR students (20%). Moreover, we have a robust pool of UR STEM students and a diverse pool of actively funded faculty committed to supporting the career development of UR students. Our program goals are to; 1) Develop students who are knowledgeable and well trained in the biomedical sciences, who can readily employ rigorous research methods and critical thinking to solve important scientific problems, and 2) Create a community of student scholars who enjoy a strong sense of belonging, thereby promoting a sustainable culture of undergraduate research excellence at URI. Our approach to achieving these goals will be informed by lessons learned over the course of the previous funding period; we will continue to cultivate a culture of inclusive mentoring excellence across campus by promoting and facilitating mentoring training for faculty and graduate student research mentors; we will use evidence-based approaches to monitor and support trainee mental health and wellness; we will emphasize strong foundations in quantitative and computational competencies and instill a pervasive culture of rigor and reproducibility in experimental design among our trainees. With these enhanced strategies, we expect that 1) 90% of our trainees will graduate with a baccalaureate degree in a STEM field within a 4-year period, and 2) 75% of our trainees will matriculate into PhD or MD-PhD degree programs in biomedical research fields within three years of graduating from the program, ultimately advancing the diversification of the nation's scientific workforce.