U-RISE at Queens College, CUNY

U-RISE at Queens College, CUNY, Project Summary Despite advances in recent years, demographical data shows that underrepresented minorities continue to lag behind their Caucasian contemporaries in various STEM disciplines, both in terms of graduate degree completion and in terms of academic publications. Although the need for diversity in STEM is heralded, the means by which to accomplish this objective remains unclear, with initiatives implemented in graduate schools being too late to affect change. This grant requests support for Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) for Queens College (QC) at the City University of New York (CUNY). QC is a public university situated within the single most ethnically diverse region in the country. In servicing the borough of Queens, QC is a leader within the state and ranked fourth in the country for social mobility. QC has held an NIH Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) that has trained 116 students over 18 years in the biomedical sciences. Due to recent changes in QC's eligibility for MARC granting, we aim to leverage the current momentum to implement a U-RISE funding mechanism to support its existing training infrastructure for underrepresented undergraduates in biomedical research programs. QC also supports a vibrant research community of investigators with research programs funded by the NIH/ARO/NSF that span a range of disciplines intersecting with biomedical sciences. In this grant, we have identified faculty mentors dedicated to training undergraduates, a track record of advancing them to research- intensive careers, and a sincere commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values. This effort is further supported by QC’s administration which intends to institutionalize undergraduate training in biomedical research through curricular offerings (formalized courses), professional development, ethics, and DEI workshops open to the broader QC undergraduate community. This U-RISE grant will continue to support the legacy established through NIH MARC U-STAR funding for community stakeholders by providing advanced research and professional development training to U-RISE students, as well as enhancing the research environment at Queens College as a whole, thereby affecting change for the many talented and diverse students who entrust us with their career success.