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Principal Investigator: RENATO J AGUILERA
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EL PASO
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $786,920
Funding agency: National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Project Summary
The primary mission of the proposed U-RISE at UTEP is to develop a cohort of diverse, research-oriented
underrepresented (UR) undergraduate students who possess the requisite knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm
to be competitive for and advance into biomedical sciences doctoral degree programs and ultimately contribute
to the diversity in the biomedical research workforce. The rationale for this program is based on the stated
goals of the NIH to increase UR representation at all levels of the biomedical research pipeline. The UTEP U-
RISE Program will be an inter-departmental training program with trainees in the Biological Sciences,
Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Psychology programs. The primary goal of the U-RISE at UTEP is to increase
the participation and retention of undergraduate students from UR groups in biomedical sciences research
through training opportunities that prepare them for advanced degree programs in the biomedical sciences. To
accomplish our goal, we will pursue the following specific objectives: (1) Enhance the biomedical sciences
research skills of U-RISE trainees; (2) Promote the development of essential supplementary skills in research
through training opportunities in written and oral presentations and research design and methodologies; (3)
Create a sense of community and belonging among U-RISE trainees who identify as researchers in biomedical
sciences; and (4) Develop and prepare U-RISE trainees to be competitive candidates for advanced biomedical
degree programs. The current proposal is modeled on the successful implementation of the RISE
undergraduate training program that has been funded at UTEP since 2004. In this proposal, we request to train
25 junior or senior UR undergraduates per year. The U-RISE trainees will receive enhanced mentorship and
guidance from the PDs who will counsel them at important junctures and checkpoints during their
undergraduate careers. The trainees will also have access to new courses and training workshops that will
make them more aware of biomedical research as a career, improve their science identity, and provide them
with the technical skills and knowledge needed to be competitive for biomedical graduate programs. The
expected outcomes of U-RISE at UTEP are as follows: all trainees will participate in mentored research
projects and extramural summer research training programs; all trainees will write a research paper suitable for
publication; 80% of the trainees will graduate with a 3.5 or higher GPA; and ultimately 75% of trainees will
enroll in an advanced degree program in the biomedical sciences. It is our expectation that upon achieving the
proposed objectives, the U-RISE program UTEP will continue to generate a highly talented pool of UR trainees
with a genuine interest in pursuing advanced biomedical degrees and future research careers.
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