SISTEMA UNIVERSITARIO ANA G. MENDEZ, INC.

The goals of the "RISE at Universidad Metropolitana (UMET)" program are: (1) to increase the number of Puerto Rican students engaging in biomedical and behavioral research, and (2) to motivate a larger number of students in the School of Science and Technology (SST) graduate from college and to pursue careers in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. In UMET this is a very important challenge since it has an open admission policy but most students, including the science students, come with very limited math knowledge and poor study skills. The "RISE at UMET" Program will target these two challenges through a comprehensive series of activities that will use research in the classroom as a novel and useful tactic to increase retention and graduation. This program will also emphasize in preparing RISE Scholars for graduate school starting with the application process. The objectives of the plan are: 1. to increase student knowledge in mathematics. Freshmen will participate in a summer math immersion course (MATH 140) that will elevate their content knowledge in mathematics from arithmetic to pre-calculus level (MATH 151). This will provide the solid mathematics foundation for mastering the analytical portions of all science courses; 2. To immerse students in scientific research within the undergraduate curriculum. Students will participate in workshops and courses directed towards the understanding of research techniques and developing analytical problem solving skills. The concept of "research in the classroom" (RIC Model) will be introduced through a pilot project in the General Chemistry (first year), Calculus I (second year) and General Physics (third year) courses; 3. To promote undergraduate competitiveness in the biomedical sciences. Students will participate in a comprehensive series of biomedical research techniques workshops (4 per year), a course on introduction to biomedical research (freshmen year), a course on Responsible Conduct of Research (freshmen year) and in summer research internships (junior year) to develop their interest and knowledge in biomedical research; and 4. To promote student entry into graduate programs in biomedical and behavioral sciences. Scholars will participate in a Preparation for Graduate School activities that include training on GRE and TOEFL test taking strategies, workshops on application to graduate school, and a course on introduction to graduate studies (collaboration). Cohorts of 15 RISE Scholars will be followed from their freshmen year to their 5th year after graduation in order to learn about their development through graduate school. The RISE at UMET Program will benefit at least 15 students per year as RISE Fellows, but indirectly will benefit at least 150 additional students per year since most activities will be open to the entire learning community. The Project "RISE at UMET" will provide Minority students living in Puerto Rico with the tools to be successful in a career related to biomedical research. This is very important because Hispanics in the U.S. is the population group that is growing most rapidly. Therefore it must be very important that more Hispanics contribute to the Nations Public Health knowledge.

Clarification of Codes