UNDERGRADUATE/OUTREACH CORE

University Of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr, Oklahoma City OK

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The overall mission of the Undergraduate Activities and Outreach Core is to increase the number and quality of graduate students in biomedical and related sciences. Student selection for the OK-INBRE Summer Undergraduate Research Program for the 09 year concluded with 64 student applications from 6 undergraduate institutions. Twenty students were selected to participate in research projects for the summer of the 09 year. The OK-INBRE summer program for community college students brought 24 student applications from the four OK-INBRE community colleges. Twelve of these students were matched with mentors for the summer term. The program consists of a one-week "boot camp" the students are required to pass before proceeding to the summer program. Under the OK-INBRE small grant program, four Collaborative, seven Mini-Grant applications, and five Equipment grant applications were funded after peer review, from 26 applications submitted. Additionally, the website has been maintained, an email list serve disseminating grant opportunities is sent weekly to the state system, a summer writing institute is planned and visits to all participating OK-INBRE institutions to assess needs will be carried out in the next funding period. The 11th annual Research Day for Regional Universities also was carried out with partial support from OK-INBRE in November 2009. We also provided partial support for a "mini-medical school" symposium in the fall of 2009 put on at OUHSC by the Oklahoma Center for Neurosciences and we will help defray costs for a second "mini-medical school" to take place in February of 2010. This event offers students the opportunity to sit in the seat of a typical medical student and to expand and challenge their knowledge of the brain. The class combines basic anatomy, physiology and clinical situations to gain a better understanding of the brain's function and neurological diseases using a clinical-translational science approach. Finally, we also provided partial funding for the Women in Science symposium that is headed by the OK-EPSCoR program, but is sponsored by many different programs, including OK-INBRE.