# Scientific Mentoring and Research Experiences Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $187,984

## Abstract

Scientific Mentoring and Research Experiences (SMRE) Core – Abstract: Representation of minority
groups in alcohol research and other academic careers is important, but there are significant disparities found in
academia1. Evidence suggests these disparities can be improved by structured mentoring that cultivates
interests, experiences, and skills of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in the sciences and fosters their
retention in academia1. The NCCU alcohol research laboratories in the current proposal were developed through
a previous funded partnership grant focused on developing independent alcohol investigators. A primary goal of
the current RFA is to promote the participation of URM scientists, and this new Scientific Mentoring and Research
Experiences Core (SMRE) directly addresses this goal. Importantly, this Core will also increase productivity for
each research component by mentoring NCCU students and supporting their expertise in complex scientific
methods. UNC ARC and NCCU collaborative partnerships have always involved undergraduate and graduate
URM students, but this proposal expands existing alcohol research collaborative partnerships with the additional
goal of increasing student matriculation into alcohol research programs. By providing tailored experiences and
infrastructure that enables student research success, we strengthen each component and facilitate student
interests into lifelong biomedical careers. This includes mentoring in complex scientific methods for alcohol
research projects, mentoring from multiple UNC ARC alcohol PIs, as well as professional development skills.
 RCMIs are strong teaching institutions, with students comprising the bulk of the research workforce.
Accordingly, in prior years of this partnership, we found that strengthening the alcohol research expertise of
NCCU students not only enhanced the pipeline of URM researchers, but it also improved the quality and
productivity of each research project. We now propose focused initiatives to strengthen the scientific expertise
of students in each research project. This includes mentoring in academic scholarship, scientific communication,
grantsmanship, scientific rigor, responsible conduct of research, and complex scientific methods tailored for each
scientific component. Increasing research skills and career coaching for NCCU students will promote student
interest and benefit research project productivity, increasing successful discoveries that will help develop
projects’ independent funding as well as increasing academic and biomedical workforce diversity. To accomplish
these goals, we propose to: (1) provide NCCU undergraduates with mentoring in complex scientific methods and
career development to improve scientific skills and promote entrance of URMs into alcohol research, (2) provide
NCCU graduate students within collaborating components focused mentoring and instruction in complex
methods tailored to each research component, and (3) facilitate laborato...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10540964
- **Project number:** 1U54AA030451-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Simon Alexander Marshall
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $187,984
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-20 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10540964

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10540964, Scientific Mentoring and Research Experiences Core (1U54AA030451-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10540964. Licensed CC0.

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