# MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR)

> **NIH NIH T34** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO · 2020 · $284,134

## Abstract

UNM MARC U*STAR ABSTRACT
 The University of New Mexico Maximizing Access to Research Careers Program (UNM
MARC U*STAR) is a two-year program that integrates mentoring, research, and academics to
train and prepare undergraduate honors students from underrepresented minorities (URM) to
enter PhD programs (and ultimately careers) in biomedical research. Each year of the five-year
grant, the MARC program will recruit eight scholars (for a total of 40 scholars) that are rising
juniors in their respective degree programs. Students will receive academic advising and
professional mentoring, instruction in critical thinking, writing skills, and responsible conduct in
research, in addition to hands-on research experiences in biomedically-relevant fields, and
direct assistance with their applications for admission to doctoral programs in the biomedical
sciences. Each student will be part of an annual cohort (Pack) that is mentored by the Program
Director, the Associate Director, and a graduate student advisor (Pack Leader). Specifically, the
UNM MARC U*STAR goals are to: 1) Increase the number of students from biomedically-
relevant majors applying to, academically prepared for, and involved in research programs as
undergraduates; 2) Encourage URM students to enter graduate research degree programs. 3)
Recruit and prepare MARC scholars for graduate school and research careers, through an
integrated training program that will enhance their academic and research skills; 4) Diversify the
degree program pool of MARC U*STAR Scholars by including students from the School of
Engineering as well as the relevant departments (Biology, Chemistry and Chemical Biology,
Physics, and UNM’s Schools of Medicine and Pharmacology) we have successfully recruited
from in the past, while retaining the sense of common identity that was previously identified as a
key to the success of our program. In addition, our program will contribute to the success of
large numbers of undergraduate students at UNM through improvements in advising,
curriculum, and dissemination of information about opportunities for undergraduate research.
The goals of this program include elements that are continuations of those we have used
successfully in the past, in addition to modifications that reflect scholar feedback and an effort to
improve program outcomes overall. Evaluation of the MARC scholars, mentors, and pack
leaders will be performed each year and student success will be followed after graduation to
determine the success of each program element, to identify areas for improvement, and to
provide information about successes and challenges for the program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9941080
- **Project number:** 5T34GM008751-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
- **Principal Investigator:** Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach
- **Activity code:** T34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $284,134
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2000-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9941080

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9941080, MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) (5T34GM008751-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9941080. Licensed CC0.

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