UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS - PAN AMERICAN

The University of Texas ? Pan American?s URM program will engage undergraduate students from a Hispanic Serving Institution in cohort research and mentoring to increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in science. The URM program will combine coursework, independent research, summer research at first-tier research institutions, presentations, community outreach, and group activities. URM students will examine interactions of arsenic with plants and microorganisms in the Laguna Madre, a rare hypersaline estuary ecosystem in South Texas. URM students will test the hypothesis that aquatic plants and microorganisms of the Laguna Madre are lessening the ecological impact of arsenic in the laguna by transforming and immobilizing arsenic via several mechanisms. URM participants will conduct research to assess the role of microorganisms and seagrass in arsenic transformations. Students will enroll in courses with their URM peers. Students will conduct summer research at the University of Arizona, the Georgia Institute of Technology or the University of Maryland and perform genetic, molecular, and bio-analytical experiments with experts at those institutions. Students will observe the academic culture of another institution first-hand, interact with researchers and students from other parts of the USA and world, and gain new scientific perspectives. Participants will be involved in group activities (e.g., workshops, ethics and writing courses, GRE preparation) to complement and enhance the research experience. URM students will perform community outreach by visiting local schools and presenting their research at an annual Hispanic science exhibition. The URM program provides an opportunity to involve students in research that will directly impact and involve their community while aiming to increase the knowledge, training, and diversity of biologists in the USA.

Clarification of Codes