{"id":148620,"date":"2021-09-24T13:10:33","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T23:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=148620"},"modified":"2021-09-24T13:17:13","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T23:17:13","slug":"2m-for-marc-at-uh-manoa-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/09\/24\/2m-for-marc-at-uh-manoa-program\/","title":{"rendered":"$2M<\/abbr> for mentorships help M\u0101noa students pursue biomedical research"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"stem
A STEM<\/abbr> graduate student researcher at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A federal initiative seeking to recruit and mentor STEM<\/abbr> students from underrepresented backgrounds toward pursuing careers in biomedical research has awarded the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa<\/a> a five-year, $2 million grant. <\/p>\n

The National Institutes of Health\u2019s “Maximizing Access to Research Careers”<\/a> (MARC<\/abbr>) grant will enable UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa faculty from the College of Natural Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM<\/abbr>), Pacific Biosciences Research Center, UH<\/abbr> Cancer Center and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology to select 30 (six per year) undergraduate students in their junior or senior years to enroll in a two-year MARC@UHM<\/abbr> program<\/a> that pairs trainees with research mentors.<\/p>\n

The mission of MARC@UHM<\/abbr> is to provide paid training in biological research for a diverse group of students, including Hawaiian\/Part Hawaiian, other Pacific Islanders (Samoan, Tongan, Micronesian, Guamanian\/Chamorro, mixed Pacific Islander), Filipino, Latinx, African American; under-represented Asians (e.g., Cambodian, Vietnamese, Laotian); those from disadvantaged backgrounds, including low social-economic and residents of rural outer islands; and students with apparent and non-apparent disabilities. <\/p>\n

Addressing inequities through training<\/h2>\n
\"vivek
Vivek Nerurkar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education<\/em>, the undergraduate student body and faculty at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa is the most diverse in the nation, but inequities persist. Only 8.5% of PhD candidates in STEM<\/abbr>-related programs at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa are from under-represented backgrounds. Additionally, a considerable number of these students do not apply to STEM<\/abbr>-related PhD programs at UH. As a result, their cultures have little involvement in our nation\u2019s workforce. This program seeks to increase their numbers in scientific research. <\/p>\n

Participating in MARC@UHM<\/abbr> are more than 25 M\u0101noa faculty and 10 faculty at other institutions. They represent diverse backgrounds in ethnicity, age, gender and rank. <\/p>\n

Serving as principal investigator on the grant is Vivek R. Nerurkar<\/strong>, professor and chair of the JABSOM<\/abbr> Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe primary outcome measure will be the number of trainees graduating with BA\/BS in four years who transition to research-intensive graduate programs,\u201d said Nerurkar. \u201cThus, MARC@UHM seeks to increase Hawai\u02bbi’s under-represented citizens who transition to research careers, and bring their diverse cultural backgrounds, life experiences, ideas and interests to biomedical research.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on MARC@UHM<\/abbr><\/h2>\n

Objectives:<\/p>\n