Medgar Evers College Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) - U-RISE at Medgar Evers College Project Summary With the ever-changing landscape of diversity as we know it, acceleration in efforts to ensure equity in higher education, particularly STEM research, and education, becomes more imperative. Medgar Evers College (MEC) of the City University of New York was established to anchor quality, affordable higher education for primarily Central Brooklyn residents who often face urban challenges. Approximately 85% of MEC’s 4,000 students are Brooklyn residents, and approximately 90% identify as Black or African American. Reflecting their ambition, intellectual curiosity, and awareness of employment trends, MEC students gravitate toward science-related majors. In 2014 MEC was awarded its first NIGMS RISE award, 5R25 GM105553 (2014-2020). This application broadens the focus of the first award (supporting students only in the biological sciences, the largest STEM department in the School of Science and Allied Health) to the broader biomedical sciences by providing support for junior and senior undergraduates (12 per year; 6 Junior and 6 Senior) majoring in Environmental Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Biology. It further institutionalizes multiple successful undergraduate biomedical research courses, workshops, and activities developed for U-RISE at MEC Scholars to accompany authentic research experiences that help increase their credentials in pursuing the biomedical Ph.D. Lastly, it leverages and supports a new institutional Honors program to identify and support freshman and sophomore STEM majors with authentic research experiences that engage early interest in research careers through its reorganized and formal U-RISE Apprentice Program. The new efforts focus on expanding initial success in recruitment, training, engagement, and support. Together, with newly formed research collaborations at more than 5 New York City research-intensive institutions, and a culture of support for diversity and inclusion, these efforts will facilitate an increase in the number of U- RISE at MEC Scholars who directly matriculate into Ph.D. (or M.D./Ph.D.) programs in the biomedical sciences.
