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).