Project Summary
Old Dominion University (ODU) is a research intensive university located in Southeastern Virginia. It
enrolls about 20,000 undergraduate (UG) students with approximately 33% from underrepresented minority
(URM) groups including a large number in the departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry,
Computer Science, and Psychology. The ODU MARC program proposes to address the critical issue of low
enrollment of URM students in Ph.D. programs after graduation. This program will be the first at ODU: (i) for
broadening participation in STEM fields that is NIH-funded; (ii) that specifically targets to increase URM UG
students in STEM research; and (iii) that specifically targets increasing the number of URM UG students who go
onto doctoral programs and careers in biomedical/behavioral sciences research.
The specific program aims are: (a) to build a strong pool of potential MARC trainees (pre-MARC students)
in the ODU MARC departments to enhance their education and to improve their awareness of research careers,
opportunities, and pathways in STEM disciplines and (b) to implement a research training program for URM
juniors and seniors. The program is characterized by: (1) sustained faculty research mentoring and academic
advisement, (2) thorough training in responsible conduct of research, (3) exposure to and training in
quantitative/computational skills needed for admission to competitive graduate Ph.D. programs, (4) engagement
in ODU faculty research programs throughout the junior and senior academic years, and (5) participation in an
intensive summer research program with external biomedical and behavioral research collaborators. The
program includes an extensive set of pre-MARC activities for freshmen and sophomores to prepare then to enter
the MARC program. Apart from intensive research training, MARC trainee activities will include advanced
instruction in software, programming, and laboratory equipment, critical thinking, literature analysis, writing skills,
GRE preparation, graduate school preparation, and how to successfully compete for graduate fellowship
targeted specifically toward application to biomedical and behavioral Ph.D. programs. MARC trainees will also
receive intensive training in presentation skills and scientific writing, ultimately resulting in presentation of their
work at national conferences, as well as submission of manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals. MARC trainees
will perform their research in the laboratories of ODU mentors, as well as in laboratories of external collaborators.
Strong institutional support for the ODU MARC program is demonstrated through the letters of support
from the Provost, the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Dean of the College of Sciences, and Chairs of MARC
departments, with significant financial commitment from the institution to maximize the chances of success of
the program. The Program Director will share administrative leadership responsibilities with a Co-Director, the
Director of Undergraduate Research, and three additional departmental liaison faculty members and will benefit
from the oversight and feedback from a well-constituted Advisory Committee.