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Certification in Principles and Applications of Biomedical Research Tools: From Scientific Curiosity to Hands-on Approaches (PABRT)

NHI/NIGMS Grant #3 R25 GM096955-10S1 to Drs Edu Suarez & Abigail Ruiz

Our proposed Supplement Research Training Plan is compiled as a Certification entitled: Principles and Applications of Biomedical Research Tools: From Scientific Curiosity to Hands-on Approaches (PABRT). The PABRT Certification will consist of ten (10) 3-hour workshops to be offered during the academic year and a special Emphasis Project in Bioinformatics. The designed training workshops include technical, operational, and professional research-related activities focused to improve the students’ skills required to succeed when entering the biomedical workforce. The proposed activities will synergize with the active RISE by: 1) Providing these experiences to non-PRISE that may attract our target students; 2) providing a new recruitment strategy that will contribute to cope with the transition to the new U RISE working with less years of funding per student; 2) Allow non-PRISE students to engage and experience hands-on at real research scenarios that may contribute to consider Biomedical research-related careers; 3) promote interaction between PRISE members and non-PRISE by opening the number of volunteer rotations, improving PRISE students mentorship skills.

A) immediate outcomes: 1) Pre and Post Test: we expect that 90% of students get a (+) gaining of knowledge in all tested workshops; B) short term outcomes: 1) We expect that at least 70% of the students continue the activities during spring semester; C) Intermediate outcomes: 1) We expect that 90% complete the certification;2) at least 70% apply for summer internships; D) Long term Outcomes: 1) We expect 60% to stay the second year as a volunteer and participate actively in the UPR-PRISE Program; 2) obtain more PRISE applications from PABRT participants than non-participants either as official or volunteer (Adjunct) members. As a result, will identify their applications, allowing students to feel comfortable in applying the techniques in other research scenarios. In addition, completing the PABRT Certificate and then apply to PRISE will increase the competitiveness of UPR PRISE candidates and future participants. Therefore, there will be the challenge and demand to increase standards and competitiveness of UPR-PRISE Program as well which is promising for recipient Graduate Schools.