PROJECT SUMMARY
The Neuroscience Colorado Research Experience (N-CORE) is a summer internship and educational
program that gives undergraduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds (URM) authentic
neuroscience research experiences in state-of-the-art biomedical research labs at the University of Colorado
Anschutz Medical School Campus (CU Anschutz). N-CORE's overarching goal is to cultivate a better
understanding of neuroscience and biomedical research, engender scientific enthusiasm, and promote
retention in scientific fields. N-CORE accomplishes this through a summer program that combines high-
quality mentored research experiences, educational programming, professional development opportunities,
and longitudinal mentoring. N-CORE interns receive instruction on core neuroscience concepts, scientific
rigor and reproducibility, scientific communication, and professional development. At the end of the summer
internship, all interns present their research at a campus-wide Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Emphasis will be placed on ensuring an inclusive environment that fosters diversity in education and research
and all Program faculty mentors will receive training in mentoring diverse students. After the internship, intern
alumni are automatically enrolled in our Pre-doctoral Mentorship Program, where they will receive customized
guidance on profession development and career opportunities. N-CORE brings together the expertise,
enthusiasm, and institutional support to succeed in its goals. The N-CORE Program Directors bring over a
decade of experience in managing a summer research program for URM undergraduate students and have
built a strong alliance with the CU Anschutz Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP), an NIH-supported T32
training program. Critically, N-CORE also brings on-board NGP graduate and MD/PhD students in the
leadership and operations of N-CORE. These students will help interns quickly integrate into the CU
Anschutz research community. In this proposal, we seek to build on our collective past successes and
expertise to create a well-supported, sustainable summer research experience program for URM
undergraduate students that will foster a better understanding of neuroscientific biomedical and clinical
research and build a community for like-minded individuals interested in continuing along a scientific or
medical career path.
