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Information for Current
MBRS-RISE Undergraduate Scholars
Participation in the Minority Biomedical
Research Support Research Initiative for Student Enhancement
(MBRS-RISE) Program at Cal State LA is an exceptional opportunity
to improve your undergraduate academic and professional career
through involvement in contemporary biomedical research under
the guidance of faculty research directors. The Program will
pay you a modest but significant salary to take advantage of
this opportunity.
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Responsibilities
of Program Participants |
- As an MBRS-RISE Scholar it is your
responsibility to succeed academically and to make a strong effort
in the research laboratory in preparation for advanced work towards
the Ph.D. and establishment of a career in research.
- The responsibility of the MBRS-RISE
research directors is to provide scientific leadership to make
your laboratory research experience meaningful and productive.
They are also committed to serving as academic and career advisors
to their MBRS-RISE students.
- The responsibility of the MBRS-RISE
Program Administration is to provide resources and leadership
that will help you maximize your efforts to achieve success in
biomedical and behavioral research and completion of your immediate
degree goal. You, your research director, and the MBRS-RISE program
administration are expected to work together so that you attain
a level of achievement in the research laboratory and in academics,
which makes you eligible and competitive for admission to strong
Ph.D. programs following graduation from Cal State LA.
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| Tenure in the Cal
State L.A. MBRS Program |
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An MBRS-RISE Undergraduate Scholar's
maximum
tenure in the program to completion
of the degree will generally be four years (48 months) for individuals
who enter as freshmen, and proportionately less for more advanced
students. Under exceptional circumstances, a student's tenure
in the program may be extended by petition to the program Advisory
Committee.
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| Academic Progress |
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There are two very important intertwined
objectives of the MBRS-RISE Undergraduate Scholars Program: 1)
your academic progress; 2) the progress of the research project
in which you participate. The expectation is that by participating
in a research group performing contemporary biomedical research,
your academic achievements will improve. A major goal of the
MBRS-RISE program is to increase the pool of talented minority
individuals who will eventually take leadership positions in
biomedical research and related disciplines. To this end, your
academic success as a participant in the program is essential;
strong performance in your undergraduate major is necessary for
admission to a Ph.D. program as the next step towards your career
goal. MBRS-RISE Undergraduate Scholars are reminded that admission
to Ph.D. programs generally requires a 3.00 minimum, at least
in the last 90 units prior to graduation. The higher your GPA
beyond 3.0, the more competitive will be your application to
graduate school. You may be interested in reading the document
Some Hints on Achieving
Academic Success.
The National Institutes of Health, the
research grant agency which funds MBRS-RISE, requires that students
be enrolled full-time at Cal State LA in order to participate
in MBRS and that satisfactory progress be made by participants.
Undergraduate MBRS students are expected to successfully complete a
minimum of 36 units per year. It is expected that your grade
point average will improve in the MBRS program. It is important
that your academic achievement allow you to pursue post-baccalaureate
or post-masters education. Your course work grades should be
mostly A's and B's. C's are to
be avoided in that they depress your GPA.
Undergraduates who earn less than a C in a course during any
particular academic quarter will be placed on probation with
respect to continuation in the program. If the student earns
less than a C in a course the subsequent quarter, he/she will
be terminated from the program. If at any point your GPA drops
below 3.00, you will have two academic quarters to improve it
or be terminated from the program.
Be sure that you take exams required
by the University, such as the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE),
in a timely fashion. The MBRS program is bound by University
regulations, and if you are not allowed to register any given
quarter because you have not completed the WPE requirement by
the University-set deadline, your continuation in MBRS is also
in jeopardy. It is assumed that all MBRS students have already
completed the Entry Level Math (ELM) exam and the English Placement
Test (EPT) requirements. If you have not, arrange to take care
of it this quarter.
Your academic progress is monitored
by quarterly OASIS reports, which are made available by the University
Registrar to the MBRS-RISE Program Office.
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Research
Participation |
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The MBRS-RISE program is funded by a
grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
(NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The primary
mission of NIGMS is the creation of new, original knowledge within
the biomedical natural and behavioral sciences, and to support
training of new generations of biomedical and behavioral scientists.
There are 25 research laboratories involved in the Cal State
LA MBRS-RISE program. The MBRS-RISE program provides support
for your salary as a research assistant, research supplies and
equipment, and funds for your travel to present research results.
It is expected that the work you do in the research laboratory
in collaboration with your faculty principal investigator and
other research student colleagues will lead to publications in
professional research journals. The research progress of these
subprojects is reviewed annually by the NIH. Renewal depends
on research productivity of the laboratory as measured in peer
reviewed professional journal publications and the career outcomes
of the participating student research assistants.
The research participation of MBRS-RISE
students has been at a high level and their work has led to publication
of nearly 500 research journal articles. A list of these publications
is given at the link MBRS-RISE
Student and Faculty Publications.
Officially, your position in the MBRS-RISE
program is as a research assistant. Currently Freshmen are paid
$6,000 per year; Sophomore Senior undergraduates are hired
at a rate of $7,134 per year. These will be increased as follows
on July 1, 2000: Freshmen will be paid $6,200; Sophomores $7,200;
Juniors and Seniors $8,200 per year. You are expected to make
a good effort in the progress of your research project, and through
this research participation, to enhance the quality of your undergraduate
education.
Your progress in research is monitored
by quarterly reports, which your research director provides to
the MBRS-RISE program office.
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Biomedical
Sciences Seminar Series |
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The program hosts, in cooperation with
the Cal State LA Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program,
a seminar series which is held most Friday afternoons (1:10 PM)
during the academic year and occasionally during the summer.
The goal of the seminar series is to
expose the MBRS-RISE students, and the Cal State LA scientific
community as a whole, to a wide range of biomedical scientists
representing various disciplines, with the intent of broadening
the student research coworkers' scientific perspective. The presenters,
which have included former Cal State LA MBRS students, are leaders
in their scientific disciplines, and are frequently minority
scientists. The seminars provide exposure to a range of academic
and industrial biomedical scientists. Also integrated into the
series are presentations by more advanced undergraduates and
graduate students. A schedule of the seminars for the current
term is available online at Biomedical
Sciences Seminar Series (this seminar
schedule site also includes biographical information about the
seminar speaker, an abstract of the presentation, and recent
references you may want to read as background for the seminar).
These seminars are an integral part of the MBRS-RISE program
and attendance is mandatory.
Refreshments are available at 12:55;
seminars begin promptly at 1:00. Please be on time.
The seminar coordinator for the 1999-2000
academic year is Professor Donald Paulson (Physical Sciences
702; 343-2332; dpaulso@calstatela.edu). If you have suggestions for seminar topics
or speakers, please let him know.
In addition we encourage your attendance,
as your schedule and other commitments allow, at the seminar
series hosted by your major department (Chemistry
& Biochemistry Departmental Seminars
on Tuesdays at 12:00 PM in Physical Sciences 306; Biology
& Microbiology Departmental Seminars
on Tuesdays at noon in Bio Sci 144). All seminars present an
opportunity for you to interact with a practicing scientist or
a more advanced student. Take advantage of these opportunities.
It is important that you begin to forge
links with biomedical and behavioral scientists. If you are interested
in going to lunch or dinner with a particular seminar speaker
(either in the Biomedical Sciences Seminars or in your major
departmental seminar series), please let your research director
know ahead of time so they can arrange through Lisa Bautista,
program administrative assistant, for funds to be made available
for this.
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Special
Workshops and Seminars |
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Throughout your tenure, the MBRS-RISE
Undergraduate Scholars Program will host a variety of workshops, seminars
ands short courses designed to enhance
your background in the sciences, and better prepare you for a
research career. These will be scheduled to be complementary
to your academic course load.
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Academic
and Career Advisement |
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Your research director recognizes that
part of his/her job is to serve as academic and career advisor.
A good advisor will be an ally in helping you make your way through
your academic program with high achievement in a reasonable length
of time, and with most of your humor and sanity intact. You should
see your official academic advisor in your department at least
once a quarter. Ideally this individual will be your MBRS research
director. However, if you feel you need additional advice beyond
what one faculty member provides, seek out other advisors.
As soon as possible but not later than
the fifth week after you join the MBRS-RISE program, you must
submit to the MBRS-RISE program office a quarter-by-quarter MBRS-RISE Undergraduate Scholar
Program Plan (signed by your advisor)
which outlines the courses you plan to take from the time you
enter MBRS-RISE to graduation. This, of course, may change with
time. Any decision concerning your academic program for any
quarter must be made only after consultation with your advisor.
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Tutoring |
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We view tutoring as a valuable performance
enhancement tool. Use tutors to help you get better understanding
of the subject matter, and consequently of enhanced academic
achievement. Be sure to establish good relationships with your
instructors so that you can use them as a resource in their office
hours. Also take advantage of the (generally free) tutoring provided
by the Learning Resources Center, the Chemistry & Biochemistry
Club, the Biology Club, the Department of Physics, and others.
More advanced members of your research group may also be good
tutors in courses they have already completed successfully. Enlist
their help.
The MBRS-RISE program has a limited
fund for tutors beyond the sources above. If you need the assistance
of a tutor, we can help defray the cost. We have located some
tutors and maintain a list in PS 628. You may, however, find
your own tutor. We can pay up to $10.00 per hour for tutoring;
beyond that you must pay the difference. If you are interested
in taking advantage of this, please see Lisa Bautista (PS 628)
before your tutoring starts, so that arrangements to pay
your tutor can be made. If you have any questions, see Dr. Anthony
Fratiello, Tutoring Coordinator (PS 620, x2326; afratie@calstatela.edu).
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Writing
Support Program |
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The ability to write well is among the
most valuable skills one can develop in support of a successful
career, invaluable for scientific work. It is through the written
word that we communicate ideas in grant proposals, report progress,
and publish completed studies. We have secured the services of
two graduate students in the English department to work with
RUSH, MBRS-RISE and MARC students to develop writing skills.
The writing specialists are Hugh Bonar ( hbonar@calstatela.edu) and Erica Hylton (ehylton@calstatela.edu). They have office space in Physical Sciences
512. Contact them to begin work on improving your writing. They
will not write for you, but they will critique your writing and
work with you so you learn to write better. Be sure to give yourself
enough lead-time so that you may go through several drafts before
the final document is turned in to a professor (such as a class
paper) or research director (such as a research report).
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Priority
Registration |
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The University Registrar has granted
MBRS-RISE students priority registration. Your name and SID have
been sent to the Registrar. Please take advantage of your priority
registration status so that you enroll in the classes you need
and make good progress towards graduation. The priority registration
periods during the current academic year are available at Priority Registration Periods 1999-2000.
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Graduate
Record Examination |
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A major goal of the MBRS-RISE program
is to increase the pool of talented minority scientists who earn
the Ph.D. and enter biomedical research careers. In support of
this goal we have secured funds to provide a GRE preparation
course through Kaplan Testing Services. The Program will also
pay fees associated with the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for those
individuals applying to Ph.D. programs. If you plan to take the
graduate record exam this year, please let us know as soon as
possible so that we may have a check issued to the Educational
Testing Service, which administers the GRE.
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Travel
to Professional Meetings |
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A significant advantage of the program
is the availability of funds to pay for your travel expenses
to professional meetings to present research
results and to interact with other investigators in your research
area. The decision of which meeting(s) to attend must be made
in consultation with your research director, and it is at his/her
initiative that Lisa Bautista will arrange for transportation,
lodging, payment of registration fees, and securing a per-diem
advance for your meals and incidentals. Ms. Bautista handles
the travel arrangements for all students in the program (and
faculty if they so request). Since meetings are announced months
in advance, be sure that your travel arrangements are made as
early as possible so we may get the best rates on airfare and
hotels. The funds we have available are limited, so the more
wisely we use them, the more students can travel. Discuss with
your faculty research director your interest in attending a scientific
meeting, and if he/she approves, have them complete and send
to Lisa Bautista a travel request form (available online at MBRS Travel Request Form)
at least one month in advance, or earlier if the meeting has
an earlier registration deadline. Several weeks in advance of
your approved travel, you will want to talk to Ms. Bautista to
confirm that your reservations and meeting registration are in
order prior to travel.
Besides air transportation and lodging,
MBRS-RISE provides for meals ($32/day), incidental costs ($5/day
after the first 24 hours), and ground transportation (variable)
for each complete day (7 a.m. - 6 p.m.) you are away from home.
Partial travel day amounts are prorated.
Travel to meetings during the summer
or between quarters is preferred to travel during an academic
quarter. There is an opportunity cost: if you are traveling,
you are not on campus keeping up with your classes. In any event,
you are responsible for high academic achievement. Because of
the time demands, travel during an academic quarter by any student
with less than a GPA of 3.0 is discouraged.
The MBRS-RISE program office will, on
request, contact your instructors to let them know you will miss
some classes during the period of your trip. This information
is also collected on your MBRS
Travel Request Form. The letters will
be generated and distributed to your instructors two weeks before
you travel.
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Payment
of Research Salary |
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Undergraduates receive a salary for
participation as a research assistant. Currently, these salaries
are set at $6,000 per year for Freshmen and Sophomores and at
$7,134 for Juniors and Seniors. These will be increased as follows
on July 1, 2000: Freshmen are to be paid $6,200; Sophomores $7,200;
Juniors and Seniors $8,200 per year. Class designation (Freshman
through Senior) is determined by progress in your major, not
only by the number of units you have taken. Students participate
full time (up to 40 hours per week) during the summer when they
have no class commitments, and 10-15 hours per week during the
academic year.
The University Auxiliary Services (UAS),
the accounting enterprise which handles all fiscal transactions
for grants, has established a biweekly schedule for payment of
salary for your work in the MBRS program. You should fill out
and give your research director a time sheet (available online
at UAS Payroll Timesheet), which s/he will sign, certifying the number
of hours (undergraduates) or percent effort (graduate students)
you have worked. You must then deliver the time sheet to UAS
Contract and Grants Administration, located in Administration
307, not later than 12 noon of the day it is due. Alternatively,
you may take your completed and signed timesheet to the MBRS-RISE
Program Office in PS 628 by 11:30 AM of the due date and we will
deliver it to UAS for you. Please consult a UAS time sheet schedule
for due dates -- your laboratory likely has one posted. This
schedule of due dates is also available online at UAS Pay Period Schedule.
Your research director is the only one
who can legitimately certify that the salary to be paid is for
work actually done. In exceptional cases (e.g. the student's
research director is off-campus), the Program Director (Prof.
Carlos Gutierrez) or Associate Program Director (Prof. Anthony
Fratiello) can sign a time sheet so that it may be processed
by UAS. When someone other than your PI signs your time sheet,
UAS is instructed to hold the paycheck until your PI authorizes
its release by countersigning a copy of that time sheet.
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MBRS-RISE
Program Evaluation |
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The MBRS-RISE Undergraduate Scholars
Program is evaluated by the Program Evaluation and Research Collaborative
(PERC). The goal here is to use the results of on-going evaluation
to improve MBRS-RISE Program effectiveness. Your cooperation
with the external evaluators is appreciated.
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Scientific
Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research |
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Scientific research is based on trust
and honesty, as is all scholarship. You are expected to exercise
the most ethical conduct in your academics and research. The
notions of scientific integrity and ethical conduct of research
are fundamental to the establishment of a research career. The
Cal State MBRS-RISE Program provides a workshop for student participants
where the topics of experimental design and the philosophy and
ethics of research are presented. MBRS-RISE. Scholars receive
a copy of On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct In Research
published by the Committee on Science, Engineering and Public
Policy (COSEPuP) of the National Academy of Science as background
for this workshop.
In addition, throughout the year special
seminars will be presented in the Biomedical
Sciences Seminar Series devoted to
issues dealing with the responsible conduct of research and ethical
issues. Finally, we expect that the continual informal conversations
between the faculty mentor and the student regarding integrity
and ethics will reinforce the material presented in the workshop
and in the seminars.
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Useful
Forms |
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The following forms, lists and schedules
in PDF format may be useful to you. Any other forms you may need
are available in the Program office in PS 628.
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If we can be of assistance in furthering
your academic or research goals, do not hesitate to approach
your research director, or the Program Directors and Coordinators
(Drs. Gutierrez and Fratiello, Vicki
Kubo Anderson), or Lisa
Bautista, Administrative Assistant.
We'll try to help as much as we can and are able.
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