Monday, April 28, 2025
4/28/2025
NU-STARS for Northeastern Illinois Student Training in Academic Research in the Sciences - Project Summary/Abstract Long term objectives: 1. At least 90% of MARC U-STAR trainees will graduate with a bachelor's degree in a STEM field. 2. At least 60% of MARC U-STAR trainees, within three years of graduation, will matriculate into a biomedical Ph.D. or combined M.D./Ph.D. program at a research-intensive institution and at least 80% of those will obtain the degree(s). Specific Aims: These elements for training will be implemented: (1) a mentoring infrastructure that provides academic and emotional support, (2) enriching opportunities for “immersion” into the scientific community such as research experience and exposure to the outside scientific community and (3) an innovative curriculum that integrates quantitative sciences with the biomedical sciences. Relevance to NIH mission: Northeastern Illinois University is in a unique position with MARC training funds to contribute to the national need of a diverse and highly trained workforce leading Nation's biomedical and behavioral research. Design, Methods, Key Focus: Curricular enhancement is a key focus of the program. We have two components of the MARC trainee program that will result in curricular enhancement: (1) The graduate school track: The trainee curriculum and activities will be open to pre-trainees and any other students interested in going to graduate school in the stem-related sciences, and (2) The creation of the Quantitative Interdisciplinary STEM minor. The establishment of this new minor provides a new focus within our science departments. The biological and health sciences are rapidly changing and becoming more interdisciplinary in nature. Currently and in the future successful students will need extensive knowledge and training beyond a field of specialty, especially in the quantitative sciences (Bio, 2010). To fulfill this need we are proposing a new minor that will expose students to interdisciplinary scientific research, with a special emphasis on enhancing quantitative skills. Although the minor will be housed within the math department, it will include courses taught by faculty in all biomedical-related fields. We see these two components as profoundly transformative in changing the nature of NEIU's academic curriculum to improve students' skills in a number of areas (mathematical, laboratory, research, and communication), to better prepare students for graduate school and to better prepare students for careers that are becoming more interdisciplinary in nature. Scientific Disciplines Encompassed in the Program: Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science. Levels Affected by the Program: Undergraduates. Duration of the Proposed Training: 2 years, juniors and seniors. Projected Number of Participating Trainees: 36 over 5 years.
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