# MARC at Vanderbilt University

> **NIH NIH T34** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $252,285

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This proposal seeks to establish a T34 MARC undergraduate training program at
Vanderbilt University that is structured to support the enhancement of achievement and
retention in STEM majors of students from underrepresented groups. In support of the
overall NIH mission, the overarching objective of the program is to provide an
exceptional training environment for the next generation of diverse and inclusive
biomedical scientists and faculty, and is built on the foundation of a strong training
faculty with exceptional records of scholarship, research support and undergraduate
mentoring, and an exceptional institutional environment with core emphases on
undergraduate research Immersion, and institution-wide dedication to increasing
diversity and Inclusive Excellence. The heart of this mission is expressed in the
academic and research goals of the program, which are to provide our students with a
strong didactic foundation in the STEM disciplines through core curriculum offerings, and
to provide them with the opportunity to carry out state-of-the-art research in the
laboratories of a group of highly successful and committed mentors, here at Vanderbilt,
and for one summer at another institution. In addition, the program has strong emphases
on professional and career development, and on quantitative literacy and rigorous
science, with the objective of building the requisite skills needed for success in graduate
school and beyond, and of training an inclusive cadre of future independent investigators
in biomedical research. The proposed MARC Program at Vanderbilt is an
interdisciplinary program that encompasses 40 faculty preceptors from 3 different
colleges and schools and 7 departments, including the departments of Biological
Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, Neuroscience,
Physics and Astronomy, and Psychology. These departments currently host ca. 700
exceptionally qualified undergraduates that are MARC eligible, providing an outstanding
opportunity for recruitment. The proposal requests support for 20 MARC students each
year and provides the rationale and justification for this request.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9932099
- **Project number:** 1T34GM136451-01
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine Louise Friedman
- **Activity code:** T34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $252,285
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9932099

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9932099, MARC at Vanderbilt University (1T34GM136451-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9932099. Licensed CC0.

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