Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Programs
OVERVIEW
There are two MBRS Programs at CSU:
 Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE)
Support of Competitive Research (SCORE).
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.
HISTORY of the MBRS PROGRAMS at CSU
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.
Prior to 1999, both research support and student development activities were centered on one program. Since 1999, student-development activities for undergraduates have been funded by the RISE Program while research is supported by the SCORE Program.
Since the division of the MBRS Program into RISE and SCORE, 173 RISE scholars have been awarded baccalaureate degrees in the sciences and 48 have progressed to Ph.D. programs.
RISE alumni who did not go on to 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 Program is 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. Since 1999, student training has been assumed by the RISE Program while faculty research is supported by the MBRS SCORE Program. Five research projects are currently funded by the MBRS SCORE Program.
PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION & STAFF
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. Five faculty Principal Investigators are currently supported by the MBRS-SCORE Program, and several more expect to submit applications in the near future to the NIH. Over the past two decades an additional eleven faculty research projects have received support from the SCORE Program and the earlier MBRS Program.
Dr. Floyd Banks is the PD of the MBRS-RISE Program and Dr. Rachel Lindsey is the PD of the MBRS-SCORE Program. Dr. Warren Sherman coordinates both programs and supervizes 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.
STUDENT PARTICIPATION in RISE & SCORE
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 such as Northwestern or the University of Chicago. The RISE Program also employs students as student aides in MBRS laboratories, as peer tutors for gateway courses in the sciences, in the TILT summer project and in the GRASP assistance in the graduate-school application process.
By participating in the RISE and SCORE projects, 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 only briefly be exposed 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.
FACULTY PARTICIPATION in RISE & SCORE
RISE. Faculty particpate as Project Investigators, coordinators and instructors in the five currrent student-development RISE Projects.
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.
APPLICATION PROCESS
for PROSPECTIVE MBRS STUDENTS
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, the MBRS Program is open only to U.S. citizens or non-citizens with immigration status.
For Undergraduates
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 clicking here. 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 program PD and faculty. 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, students at the graduate level are referred to CSU/Northwestern Bridge Program and Dr Mark Erhart who may be reached at 773-995-2432
FINANCIAL BENEFITS TO THE UNIVERSITY
The following is a summary of recent CSU MBRS budgets:
RISE PROGRAM
| Funding cycle |
1999-2003 |
2003-8 |
2009-2013 |
Funding total ($) |
2.9 million |
2.7 million |
1.1 million |
SCORE PROGRAM
Funding cycle |
1995-9 |
1999-2003 |
2003-7 |
2007-11 |
Funding total ($) |
2.1 million |
2.3 million |
4.2 million |
3.0 million |
* The CSU RISE and SCORE Programs are supported by NIGMS/NIH grants R25 GM059218 and SO6 GM008043, respectively. |
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