Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a Hispanic Serving Institute, focused on teaching and research. Since 2010, NSU has increased activities to recruit undergraduates, especially those from underrepresented (UR) minorities, and has doubled its undergraduate population (UG). NSU has actively sought out researchers, established Ph.D. programs, built quality research facilities, and created new research institutes. The U- RISE@NSU proposal aims to provide an enhanced training experience to STEM UR/UG students, supporting them to complete their baccalaureate degree, gain biomedical related research training and career development, and enter and complete biomedical, research-focused graduate program. Our goal and mission is aligned with NSU’s and NIH’s missions related to promoting diversity and research and careers in the biomedical sciences. NSU UG will be the source of trainees and has a significant number of UR/UG students enrolled in STEM related degree programs. The new program will enroll seven new UR/UG trainees per year. They will work with any one of 27 faculty mentors that come from several colleges and institutes within the University. All mentors have strong research, academic, and training records with sufficient research funds. Dr. Gannett (PI), along with Drs. Kawai, Minond, Nathanson, and Rabionet (Co-Is), have outstanding research, mentoring, and training grant experience and will guide the program. This proposal will provide a two-year training experience to prepare trainees to be competitive for successful transition into bioscience-based graduate programs, with four components: (1) a foundational education program in the biomedical sciences; (2) a hands-on research training experience in the laboratories of experienced and funded investigators; (3) a summer internship experience at a research-intensive university aligned with their NSU research activities; and (4) a career enhancement program which will enhance professional skills, allow for exploration of the biomedical landscape, and prepare for successful matriculation into a Biomedical graduate studies program. Components 1 and 4 will occur by classroom activities, courses, workshops, and seminars; planned and designed to inform as to the nature of the biomedical sciences, support critical and independent thinking, the value of working collaboratively, and need for team science. Components 2 and 3 will provide the technical, operational, and professional skills necessary to conduct rigorous and reproducible research, and to support trainee transition into research-focused higher degree programs. We envision that 80% of the U-RISE@NSU trainees will matriculate into a biomedical graduate program; 100% of the trainees will come from UR/UG populations; and 90% will graduation rate within four years (100% within six).

Project Narrative This T34 U-RISE@NSU program at NSU aims to provide an enhanced training experience to STEM undergraduate students from underrepresented populations, supporting them to enter and complete biomedical graduate programs. The program stands on two key pillars necessary for this kind of proposal: an excellent research infrastructure and an extensive minority population of Hispanics and other underrepresented minorities, with doctoral career aspirations. The program will achieve its objectives by development and implementation of 1) a foundational education program in the biomedical sciences, 2) a collaborative laboratory-based research experience, 3) a summer research experience, and 4) a career development program.