The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has announced a new grant to help put minority students and students with disabilities on the path to becoming future biomedical researchers.
According to UTEP, the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded two grants to fund two five-year programs. They include the $3.8 million Undergraduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (U-RISE) and the $2.6 million Graduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (G-RISE), totaling $6.4 million grants to help UTEP students pursue biomedical research careers.
U-RISE enrolled 25 students and G-RISE registered eight this summer. The programs are open to students pursuing biomedical degrees. Each offers monthly stipends as well as tuition and fees support for up to three years. The programs provide additional funds for research travel and supplies.
Renato Aguilera, professor of biological sciences, said UTEP is “producing high-level, well-trained biomedical researchers that other universities are eager to attract.” Aguilera has directed research-training programs for more than 25 years.
Each U-RISE participant will work under a faculty mentor for an academic year to develop the necessary skills, interests, knowledge, and enthusiasm to become a competitive candidate for biomedical sciences doctoral degree programs.
Students interested in chemistry, biology, psychology, biochemistry, and biomedical engineering will work at UTEP during the fall and spring semesters and will have the option to continue to work at UTEP in the summer or to work at another institution’s research lab at least once during their tenure with U-RISE.
The goal of G-RISE is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in biomedical doctoral programs who can then transition to careers as biomedical researchers. Trainees will participate in research at least 20 hours per week through the academic year.
The co-director of the G-RISE and U-RISE programs is Wen-Yee Lee, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. The other G-RISE and U-RISE co-directors are Elizabeth Walsh, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences, and Anita Quintana, Ph.D., associate professor of biological sciences, respectively. Click here to read more.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been tasked with…
Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm,…
Humboldt State University, one of four campuses within the California…
