Project Summary
As both a Native-American serving, non-tribal institution and minority serving institution in poor,
rural southeastern North Carolina, the U-RISE program at the University of North Carolina at
Pembroke aims to increase the number of our diverse and disadvantaged students who pursue
a terminal degree in biomedical or behavioral science and ultimately enter the biomedical
research workforce. In order to accomplish this goal, we aim to recruit 6 trainees annually from
underrepresented (UR) or disadvantaged backgrounds and provide them with two years of
research training and experience with passionate faculty preceptors (for a total of 12 trainees
supported each year). Research training will include basic skills such as lab safety and
documenting experiments but also in communication skills, both written and oral, through
practice writing abstracts, direction in reading primary sources, and presenting research in the
form of elevator talks, poster and oral presentations. In addition, the trainees will be retained
due to the formation of a strong cohort and supported by a three-pronged mentorship approach
from peers, program leadership and research faculty. Furthermore, career exploration and
development will aid in their retention by giving the trainees a more concrete picture of their
future. Setting and accomplishing goals will be modeled through the development and
monitoring of an individual development plan (IDP). To increase retention and resiliency in
graduate training, trainees will take part in workshops and activities aimed at helping them
develop coping and self-care strategies and increase self-efficacy and science identity.
Recruitment of trainees will be facilitated by a pre-U-RISE summer research experience open to
all students in the included majors. As a result of these activities, we expect that at least 90% of
the RISE Fellows will graduate with a BS degree in biology, chemistry or physics and at least
75% of RISE Fellows will have entered a biomedical research graduate program within 3 years
after graduation. The evidence-based interventions in the research training program will
successfully prepare UNCP graduates to be confident, competent and experienced candidates
to enter and succeed in biomedical research careers.