# Students Training in Advanced Research

> **NIH NIH T35** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2020 · $119,556

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract.
This is a competing renewal application of the highly successful UC Davis T35 STAR (Students Training in
Advanced Research). The program has trained 225 DVM students over the last 20 years. Students are
encouraged and mentored to submit hypothesis-driven research proposals during their first, second, and
occasionally third year of the professional curriculum. The objective of the STAR program is to provide DVM
students, whose application is approved by the review committee, stipend support to join experienced training
faculty members and their productive research teams in 10 weeks of structured research mentoring and
hands-on modern biomedical research. The program emphasizes 5 fundamental research objectives: 1) how
to gain knowledge and understanding o f one’s field of science; 2 ) h o w t o formulate a scientifically
sound and testable hypothesis; 3) identify specific objectives, conduct controlled methodical
experiments, and develop technical expertise; 4) analyze results, derive conclusions, propose additional
experiments, and anticipate new directions; and 5) convey research findings succinctly and convincingly to
others. Responsible conduct of research and scientific rigor are key components of the training plan. STAR
program has consistently received 55 to 63 applicants annually, and in 2015 expanded to 15 positions
supported by the NIH T35 mechanism to meet growing demand from students with interest in participating in
NIH-relevant research. Students with broad interests ranging from molecular and cellular medicine, to
biomedical engineering, to vector borne diseases, to epidemiology will be trained. The program maintains 57
faculty trainers with proven successes in undergraduate, predoctoral and postdoctoral training. Thus, students
have access to research projects conducted not only on a variety of lab animal species (C. elegans, zebrafish,
rodents, non-human primate), but also clinical research on companion and food animals. Increasingly students
express interest in transdisciplinary “One Health” research experiences with hypotheses targeting complex
questions about disease emergence and transmission at the interface of animals, humans and their
environment. Accordingly, we have dynamically expanded our training faculty to meet student interests. The
greatest strengths of our short-term training program include the outstanding quality and motivation of our DVM
students, the strong highly collaborative multidisciplinary nature of our research programs, and student access
to translational research projects that use innovative approaches. Trainees will have access to advanced
technologies, such as epi/genomics and metabolomics, proteomics, state-of-the-art imaging, BSL3 labs,
genetically modified organisms, and gnotobiotic and inhalation facilities. This five-year competitive renewal
application requests to maintain support for a total of 15 DVM students per year for each of five years (a total
of 75 students), ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9780948
- **Project number:** 2T35OD010956-21
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Isaac N Pessah
- **Activity code:** T35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $119,556
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2000-02-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9780948

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9780948, Students Training in Advanced Research (2T35OD010956-21). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9780948. Licensed CC0.

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