UTA Summer Research Program to Promote Participation in Health-Related Research

The overall goal of this R25 application is to provide unique research and education opportunities to current undergraduate students at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Specifically, we will expose these students to the disciplines of biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research with the ultimate goal of providing intense training to individuals who will represent the future in biomedical research in topic areas related to the mission of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. UTA is a large institution with a vast undergraduate population. As of fall 2020 UTA had a total of ~48,000 full time on-campus students, the majority of which are undergraduate students (~35,000). Thus, UTA is ideally suited to accomplish the objective of providing intense experiences to students in health-related research. We will enroll two separate cohorts of students: First, our selection committee will identify 10 outstanding sophomore, junior, and senior level undergraduate students from UTA (each year) to participate in a “laboratory-based” summer research education experience. Second, our selection committee will identify up to 40 sophomore, junior, and senior level undergraduate students to participate in a “classroom only” summer research education experience. Each cohort will participate in a 10-week summer research / educational program, beginning the first week of June each year. Students in the “laboratory-based” cohort will be assigned a primary faculty mentor who will supervise them in conducting fulltime research related activities Monday through Thursday. On Friday’s, both cohorts come together for a joint “classroom-based” research education experience, covering a wide range of topics related to biomedical research ranging from Professional Development to the Responsible Conduct of Research. Students will also engage with faculty and graduate students every Friday through a series of research seminars. The primary outcomes / metrics of success will include: 1) Returning to the program for more than one summer experience (particularly for the classroom-based cohort who will be strongly encouraged to reapply the following year for the laboratory-based experience). 2) Successful completion of an undergraduate degree in a STEM field. 3) Applying for competitive fellowships for graduate school or other advanced degrees. 4) Enrollment in an advanced degree program in a STEM field. And 5) Subsequent participation in research or employment in a STEM field.