# STEM Through Authentic Research Training (START) Program for Underrepresented Communities

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2022 · $260,155

## Abstract

Abstract/ Project Summary
The increasing importance of technology in contemporary society necessitates a STEM literate population.
This represents a challenge for traditionally underrepresented populations (people of color, individuals with
disabilities, individuals in less affluent communities) impacting upward social mobility. Often, members of
these groups are doubly disadvantaged, as the few who become first generation college students often lack a
roadmap for success through family, near peers and potential mentors. Success for this population,
representing a highly motivated group, needs to be nurtured to embrace and advance STEM disciplines,
before they reach their college classrooms. This necessitates the education not only of students, but their
teachers, providing synergies in teaching and learning to empower students to avail of opportunities perceived
as being beyond their reach. We hypothesize that bridging this expanding gap requires an integrated program
bringing together academic, social and real-world professional experiences to establish a pipeline linking
success in middle/high school to success for first generation college students and beyond. Such a pipeline will
generate not only STEM-proficient citizens but also a cadre of near peers to motivate by example. With this
central premise we have formed the STEM Through Authentic Research and Training (START) Program tot
identify recruit and retaining traditionally underrepresented populations by providing year-round authentic
research opportunities and professional development for high school students (grades 9-12) and middle and
secondary STEM teachers (grades 5-12). START represents a partnership between the University of Kentucky
providing opportunities for STEM research, The Academies of Lexington, a partnership with the Fayette
County Public Schools- focused on changing the traditional didactic model for STEM instruction, the KY-WV
LSAMP program an NSF funded consortium led by UK including over 10 diverse academic institutions
supporting undergraduate research aimed at increasing the representation and overall success of traditionally
underrepresented populations in STEM disciplines. START establishes a natural pipeline to the collegiate
level by virtue of the alliance with KY-WV LSAMP and its member institutions. Finally, we have recruited Space
Tango, a Lexington STEM start-up company which builds and integrates systems for scientific and biomedical
research under microgravity conditions on the international space station. As such, a spectrum of research
opportunities, from the molecular and microscopic level in participating UK STEM laboratories to the vastness
of space itself afforded by Space Tango provide an exciting palate of opportunities for traditionally
underrepresented students and the teachers responsible for their STEM education. We believe that the
integration of real world authentic research opportunities in the context of overall STEM education via a unique...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10445006
- **Project number:** 5R25GM132961-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** Luke H Bradley
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $260,155
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10445006

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10445006, STEM Through Authentic Research Training (START) Program for Underrepresented Communities (5R25GM132961-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10445006. Licensed CC0.

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