Abstract
Underrepresented mentors are critical for impacting the trajectory of underrepresented students toward research careers. Not only do they share lived experiences but can understand the unique challenges of navigating a predominantly white, ableist university. Undergraduates often view these mentors as role models for successful science careers and these mentors can create supportive microenvironments for underrepresented students. Although first‐ and second‐year classes offer broad access and are often the site of first contact with underrepresented faculty, teaching centered instructors are less likely to have an active research program. Minority‐serving undergraduate research programs can generate social stigma due to competitive norms of science culture and embedded bootstrapping rhetoric. Course‐based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are often cited as a particularly promising approach to preparing and motivating undergraduates to pursue graduate study that avoids stigma. However, authentic research projects rarely can be completed in a single semester, and CUREs are not typically designed to prepare students to enter particular research labs. Furthermore, CUREs typically are only available in third and fourth years, have extensive prerequisites, and are restricted to honors students (only 19% of underrepresented students in the five biomedical majors have sufficient GPAs to be eligible for honors at TAMU). One‐semester CUREs are insufficient to prepare underrepresented students for graduate study. The Biomedical Research Certificate (BRC) Program provides vertically integrated CUREs to prepare undergraduates for the next stage of their careers. A research certificate was created to address these considerations. The BRC is a multi‐college program that allows undergraduates to perform research in collaborative teams from the students’ freshman to senior years. Open to any major, it attracts diverse students across the university interested in participating in multi‐semester health‐related research. Because there are no entry requirements (e.g., prerequisites or minimum GPA) and courses count toward degree plans, it is the only program at TAMU in which there are no barriers to participating in research starting in their freshman year. This access has radically expanded research participation of lower‐division undergraduates. Freshmen explore multiple research disciplines and join a particular research track in their sophomore year. Built to expand to meet the ever‐increasing needs of both students and research labs, the BRC has grown to include research tracks in health disparities, computational biology, in vitro experimentation, human subject research, bioinformatics, and neuroscience. These tracks not only engage undergraduates in authentic research projects, but also provide the critical skills needed to take full advantage of opportunities across TAMU in junior and senior years.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.