Grant to help build diverse pipeline of researchers
A six-figure grant from the National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will fund programming designed to recruit and train a diverse group of undergraduates to pursue postgraduate education and careers in biomedical sciences.
The $137,662 grant will help the Detroit Mercy I-RISE with U-RISE Program provide undergraduate students with authentic research experiences, intensive student success initiatives and mentored research. It will also fund exposure to diverse scientific communities through career panels and conferences.
"We are very excited to begin," said Elizabeth S. Roberts-Kirchhoff, assistant dean for Academics and professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Engineering & Science, which is running the program.
Students who are part of I-RISE with U-RISE will receive annual tuition support of $16,000, a stipend of $14,340 annually, monetary support when performing external research and funding to present research at scientific meetings. I-RISE students will also be assigned a faculty mentor, receive personal academic advising and career advising, peer mentoring and guidance in applying to graduate school.