Chicago State University - MBRS Overviews and Administration

Both Programs are funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).* The CSU-MBRS Programs are designed to (i) provide expanded opportunities for students majoring in biology, chemistry and physics to prepare for doctoral-level work (RISE) and, (ii) enhance the biomedical research capabilities of the university (SCORE). The RISE Program is authorized for funding through 2013 and SCORE is funded through 2011.

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

Over the past three decades, undergraduate and graduate students have been received research training and financial support from the CSU MBRS Programs. More than 400 students have graduated with B.S. degrees in biology, chemistry or physics and 50 have earned M.S. degrees in biology. More than one-hundred students have gone on to doctoral degrees in biology, chemistry, medicine, or medically-related professions at prestigious schools, such as University of Illinois, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Mississippi, University of Texas, Louisiana State University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Howard University, Meharry Medical College, Stanford University, Temple University, and Wayne State University, and as of this date 19 have earned PhD degrees in STEM disciplines. For a listing click here

Prior to 1999, NIH support for research and student development activities was centered on one MBRS program. Since 1999, student-development activities for undergraduates is funded by the RISE Program while research is supported by the SCORE Program.

Since the division of the MBRS into RISE and SCORE, 207 RISE scholars have been awarded baccalaureate degrees in the sciences and 46 have progressed to Ph.D. programs.RISE alumni who did not go on to academic graduate programs have obtained employment in teaching, health profession areas both in the public sector (hospitals and medical laboratories) and in private industry (pharmaceutical companies). Participation in MBRS workshops or research projects is equated by many employers to job experience and gives CSU graduates a competitive advantage in the job market.

FACULTY RESEARCH
The NIH MBRS Programs are one of the largest single source of non-state support for faculty-led research at CSU. Over past two decades, sixteen projects have received support from the NIH and have provided vital resources for research training for undergraduates and graduate students. Five research projects are currently funded by the MBRS SCORE Program.

RISE Program . The principal personnel are the Program Director (PD) assisted by a Program Coordinator, Program Secretary and faculty who supervize the program activities.
SCORE Program. Three faculty Principal Investigators are currently supported by the MBRS-SCORE Program, and several more expect to submit applications when the NIH re-introduces the program. Over the past two decades an additional eleven faculty research projects have received support from the SCORE Program and the earlier MBRS Program.
Dr. Devi Potluri is the PD of the MBRS-RISE Program and Dr. Warren Sherman coordinates the day-to-day program activities. They are assisted by a fifteen-member Advisory Committee composed of the PIs of the SCORE Program, the RISE faculty, and additional faculty and administrators.

The MBRS RISE Program employs undergraduate students as research trainees. Students majoring in biology, chemistry, physics, or other biomedically-related areas who are interested in pursuing careers in scientific research may participate in either on-campus SCORE research projects or off-campus at research universities or national laboratories. RISE also employs students as peer tutors for gateway courses in the sciences, in the TILT summer skills workshop and provides assistance in the graduate-school application process.

By participating in RISE and SCORE, students learn scientific concepts, skills and techniques beyond those taught in the regular classroom. They learn to apply techniques and carry out procedures to which they may be exposed only briefly in traditional science courses. From these experiences, students obtain a much greater appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of biomedical research and the interrelatedness of their studies. Additionally, travel support provides students with unique opportunities to attend national scientific meetings and network with leading scientists with national reputations . To date, 19 alumni of RISE and its predecessor MBRS program have been awarded PhD degrees in STEM disciplines. For details, click here.

RISE. Faculty particpate as Project Investigators, coordinators and instructors in the student-development RISE Projects.they also provide individual mentorship for the RISE scholars.
SCORE. Over the past two decades a total of sixteen faculty-led research projects have been supported by the MBRS and SCORE Programs. There are currently five projects funded by SCORE. The MBRS Coordinator runs an annual training workshop for new faculty to encourage them to apply for new SCORE support.

Since the primary goal of the NIH MBRS Program derives from a 1972 act of the Congress of the United States to address the under-representation of minorities in the biomedical research professions in the US, participation in the RISE Program is restricted to U.S. citizens or non-citizens with immigration status.

To participate in RISE students must be attending CSU on a full-time basis and normally possess a GPA minimum of 3.0. (In exceptional circumstances, students will be accepted with less than 3.0 if they are progressing towards this goal.) APPLICATION FORMS may be downloaded by clickinghere. On completion, please submit it to MBRS Secretary Ms. Debra Walls, SCIENCE BUILDING, ROOM 222 (telephone: 773-995-2279; fax: 773-995-2169). The completed form will be reviewed by the RISE Advisory Committee. Dr. Sherman will inform the applicant of his/her placement.He can be reached at 773-995-2322 (e-mail: wsherman@csu.edu).

Graduate students normally initiate the application procedure by making contact with a faculty member whose research is supported by the SCORE Program and with whom they wish to do their thesis research. The current list of SCORE-supported faculty may be found in the SCORE section of this website.

Note: The RISE program is not currently mandated to provide financial support for graduate students. However, graduate students can be employed in SCORE projects as research assistants.