A federal grant will help Grand Valley attract underrepresented minorities to its biomedical science programs.
Grand Valley, along with the Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids Community College and Davenport University's Grand Rapids Area Pre-College Engineering Program have formed an alliance to help prevent a shortage of science and engineering professionals nationwide. Through a three-year $500,000 Bridges to the Baccalaureate grant from the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the four partners will aid minority students interested in biomedical careers in their transition from GRCC to GVSU.
Each organization will help identify potential candidates prior to high school graduation. A Wednesday, February 6, kick off event will be held at the Van Andel Institute from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to introduce teachers, guidance counselors and prospective scholars to the program. Representatives from each institution will discuss the program, personal experiences and the career paths of current and former students. A poster session will follow featuring postdoctoral fellows, student interns and technologists.
The grant will fund up to 20 students annually and is designed to mentor community college minority science students though the completion of the baccalaureate degree and ultimately into biomedical careers. The consortium between a four-year institution, community college and biomedical research facility will offer a seamless support of students across the full continuum of education and research.
We may face a severe shortage of professionals in science and engineering in the near future, said GVSU biology professor and grant administrator Mark Staves. Should this occur we cannot afford to leave substantial sections of our nation's intellectual resource pool untapped.
The grant targets African-American, Hispanic, Pacific Island and Native American high school students. The program offers participants one-on-one mentoring, research assistantships and professional development. While enrolled at GRCC the students will have the opportunity to serve as research assistants at GRCC, GVSU and VARI. The positions are funded through the grant and will provide the scholars stipends. Students who complete the program can transfer to GVSU health science or biomedical degree programs.
Training minority medical students as research and clinical scientists is not only a wise economic and demographic policy, it is the right thing to do for these bright and conscientious students who often only need the opportunity to do well in science, said Dr. James Resau, special program investigator for VARI.
The BRIDGES program is competitive, and students who complete applications will be considered for interviews to determine their commitment to a career in a biomedical science. They will also be evaluated on ACT scores, grades and recommendations. Following the completion of their baccalaureate degree students have a variety of career options from which to chose, including work as laboratory biologists, chemists, physicists and clinical or computer scientists.
This program is a real force to provide students with encouragement and motivation, said Carolyn Collins-Bondon, Grand Rapids Community College assistant dean of arts and sciences.
