URM: Mentoring Urban Undergraduate students in an Integrated Ecological Research Experience

Cuny Queens College, Flushing NY

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract The URM program at Queens College of the City University of New York will promote and support the participation in research of undergraduate students, especially students from underrepresented minorities, in the fields of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. Students will be recruited early in their academic careers and prepared for graduate studies through a combination of faculty mentoring, group mentoring, and academic tutoring. Over the next four years, twelve students will participate in the research and mentoring activities funded by the URM. These students will receive financial support for the two years they will be in the program. The research programs of the six faculty members involved in this URM cover a wide-range of evolutionary and ecological questions and will provide a diverse choice of research projects for the students enrolled. Students will benefit from an integrated research experience with a field component overseas in Ethiopia, Europe, Panama or Israel and a cutting-edge laboratory component at Queens College. The international component of the program will offer students numerous possibilities of interactions and collaborations with the local scientists and students in the countries of their field research. The research experience will be combined with a rigorous and integrated academic program with field-related courses and workshops in ethics, career development and scientific communication. The mentoring strategy will promote excellence in undergraduate research and will ultimately increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in graduate studies and research in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. More information can be found at http://qcpages.qc.edu/Biology/urm.