Triscia W. Hendrickson, Ph.D. - US grants

electrospray ionization mass spectrometry; flagellum; gas chromatography mass spectrometry; immunologic substance development /preparation; molecular assembly /self assembly

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Morehouse College Leaders in Science MARC-U*STAR Program is responsive to the New MARC Program announcement by proposing activities that will impact the retention of science majors and increase their interest in transdisciplinary and biomedical research, graduate study and careers in the biomedical sciences. The program is also designed to prepare honors science majors for graduate study in the biomedical sciences. The goals of the Morehouse College Leaders in Science Program Pre-MARC activities are to impact all science majors by: 1) increasing exposure to and skills in transdisciplinary and translational research; 2) increasing academic performance; and 3) increasing interest in and exposure to graduate training and research careers in the biomedical sciences. The Program is designed to enhance the research training infrastructure of the Division of Science and Mathematics through significant curricular enhancements, including the integration of transdisciplinary and translational research, facilitated learning approaches with interdisciplinary focus, faculty development and significant collaboration between the Division's research training programs. Pre-MARC activities include providing science majors with: 1) research experiences that enhance interest in and experience with transdisciplinary research; 2) enriched academic experiences to enhance academic performance and increase interest in science research; 3) exposure to cutting-edge biomedical research, graduate training and careers in biomedical sciences; and 4) an enhanced research culture achieved through the leveraging of multiple training programs. The primary goal of the Leaders in Science MARC Scholars Program is to prepare highly competitive graduates who possess intent to pursue careers as biomedical research scientists. The MARC Scholars Program will provide advanced training to outstanding junior and senior science majors who have demonstrated strong readiness for and intent to enter PhD programs in the biomedical sciences. This proposal includes a program of MARC scholar activities that (1) replicates the demand and rigor of graduate school; (2) trains potential PhD and MD/PhD applicants, and (3) develops leadership skills. Program activities are designed to provide MARC scholars with: 1) experiences that enhance their preparation for graduate training; 2) advanced training in critical thinking, transdisciplinary research and writing; and 3) opportunities to develop leadership skills through service and leadership development activities. The evaluation of the Leaders in Science MARC-U*STAR Program will follow a mixed methods approach, which includes both quantitative and qualitative measures and resulting in formative and summative evaluations. Annual formative evaluations will provide feedback that will be used to make real time programmatic adjustments. The summative evaluation will provide an overall assessment of progress made in achieving various goals and objectives and will systematically identify effective practices and policies.

PROGRAM SUMMARY The goals of the MARC U-STAR program at Morehouse College are to (1) increase the number of Morehouse College STEM majors who enter PhD or MD-PhD programs within three years of attaining their bachelor's degree, (2) enhance the curriculum in the Division of Science and Mathematics, and (3) create a Research Community at Morehouse College. We believe that the combination of research training, mentoring, academic enhancement and professional development will result in Leaders in Science. The MARC U-STAR Leaders in Science Program emphasizes the incorporation of quantitative sciences and biology into an interdisciplinary course of study, the integration of service-learning into instruction, and the implementation of a MARC Scholars Program that provides academic year and summer research training and mentoring, which prepare students for graduate study in the biomedical sciences. This program is designed to provide advanced and specialized training for a small cohort of exceptional STEM students at Morehouse College, thereby improving the readiness of its scholars to successfully complete the PhD, begin research careers in the biomedical sciences, and, ultimately, become leaders in science. Since its inception in 2011, our program has appointed 26 trainees, 18 have graduated, 5 are rising seniors and will continue their matriculation as MARC scholars, and 3 are no longer in the MARC program but are completing their degree requirements and are projected to graduate in May 2017. Of the 14 trainees who completed the 2-year training program and graduated: 7 are in PhD programs, 3 are in MSTPs, 2 are employed in a STEM-related position, 1 is in a master's to PhD bridge program and 1 is in medical school. Recent reports have identified African-American males as being the most underrepresented ethnic group in STEM careers. The Morehouse College MARC U-STAR Leaders in Science Program is at the vanguard of a movement to combat this disparity ? 100% of our graduates are pursuing careers in the biomedical and related science fields. Due to this overwhelming success, the program proposes to continue training undergraduate STEM majors at Morehouse College by building on its strengths and adding new initiatives. For the upcoming project period, the MARC U-STAR Leaders in Science program will focus on: Mentoring, Academic enhancement, Research training, and Community building. The proposed activities are designed not only to meet the goal of increasing the number of students from underrepresented groups seeking PhDs in biomedical fields, but also to enhance the students' communication skills, enhance the curriculum in the Division of Science and Mathematics, and serve as the catalyst for the development of a research community at Morehouse College. These programmatic activities are designed to meet the specific aims of the MARC U-STAR Leaders in Science program, which are to SA-1) Increase exposure to and competency for engaging in biomedical research; SA-2) Increase academic performance within the STEM disciplines; SA-3) Increase exposure and intent to pursue graduate study and research careers; SA-4) Replicate the graduate school environment; SA-5) Cultivate ethical leadership in scientific research. The proposed program will be implemented over a 5-year period and train 10 students/year, 5 juniors and 5 seniors. At the end of the project period the expectations are that the percentage of Morehouse STEM majors entering graduate school will have increased by 25%, the curriculum in the Division of Science and Mathematics will be more research-based and facilitate the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills among STEM majors, and that the maintenance of the Morehouse College Research Community will be a key component of the College's Strategic Plan.

ABSTRACT The goal of this administrative supplement is to prepare STEM students to engage in meaningful research during their undergraduate matriculation at Morehouse College. This will be accomplished by (1) developing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) modules for the introductory biology and chemistry courses, (2) integrating a What is Research? workshop into the fall introductory biology and chemistry courses, (3) training faculty to effectively mentor undergraduate research students. The proposed activities will support the work currently being done in the two existing TWD programs at Morehouse College, the MARC U-STAR Leaders in Science (T34 GM096954) and RISE to Excellence (5 R25 GM070514), specifically by enhancing the STEM curriculum. Approximately 490 students will be impacted by this project, which represents 22% of the Morehouse student body and 76% of the STEM majors. The expectation is that these activities will result in a deeper pool of potential applicants for the undergraduate research training programs and better prepare our students to be more competitive for summer research experiences and graduate programs in the biomedical sciences. Many of the proposed activities were previously planned as pre-MARC activities. However, due to funding cuts, the pre-MARC activities were not implemented. Furthermore, the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in Morehouse College increasing its teaching load from three courses per semester to four courses per semester, leaving little room for unfunded research training.