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Goal of the Cal State L.A. MORE Programs

The mission of the Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) Programs at California State University, Los Angeles is to make available to the American scientific research enterprise the creativity and intellectual talents of minority group members. To this end, the University has established several programs to enhance the development of minority students who wish to pursue research careers in basic science disciplines, mathematics and engineering.The University hosts intensive student development programs which include unequalled opportunities for research participation under the direction of the Training Faculty, among the most productive teacher-scholars in the natural and behavioral sciences at the University. These programs are funded by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the American Chemical Society. All focus on preparing students for success in graduate programs leading to the Ph.D.

The NIGMS provides support for students interested in developing research careers in biomedical and behavioral research. The NSF supports the development of research careers and in non-biomedical areas of science and engineering.

The Value of Diversity to Science

Science and engineering are made richer and better by differences in gender, race, ethnicity, and culture among scientists. We can contribute to a better understanding of natural phenomena by bringing the talents of a broader range of individuals to focus on the solution of research problems. As scientists we seek to gain through experimentation an understanding of reality, and with that knowledge, the ability to describe, manipulate and create. This human activity progresses in proportion to the quality and novelty of the research questions posed by its practitioners, and the creative effort expended in answering these. Our human uniqueness is influenced by individual life histories and circumstances, allowing each of us to frame research questions-and the answers to these questions-from different perspectives. This is the value of diversity to science: that we can gain a better understanding of cellular, molecular, and behavioral phenomena by having many investigators form and answer research questions from various perspectives, and to subject these to experimental verification and reproduction.

The American science enterprise has been well-served by the intellectual diversity of its practitioners. However, there are groups in American society-notably African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos, Pacific Islanders, and others-whose participation in leadership positions in science is disproportionately low. These large and growing populations are a mostly untapped source of additional intellectual talent for the solution of biomedical and behavioral research problems. We aim to contribute to the efforts which will bring the intellectual talents of minority Americans to benefit the scientific research enterprise.

MORE Program Descriptions

U-RISE

There are two components of the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program-Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement:

• U-RISE Program Information:

/nss/nih-u-rise-program

• Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (URISE) Application

• RISE M.S.-to-Ph.D.

Collaborative MS-to-Ph.D. programs between Cal State LA and UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and the University of Southern California

Bridges to the Future

• Bridges to the BS

California State University, Los Angeles collaborates with East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles City College and Pasadena City College in programs to enhance science student development and transfer from the community colleges to four-year institutions.

Bridges to the Doctorate

• Bridges to the PhD

Collaborative MS-to-Ph.D. programs between Cal State LA and UCLA, UC Irvine, and the University of Southern California

ACS-Project Seed

American Chemical Society- Project Seed is designed to encourage economically disadvantaged high school students to pursue career opportunities in the chemical sciences. Direction for Project SEED is provided by the ACS Committee on Project SEED.Research participation is limited to eight weeks in the summer at CSULA.

LSAMP-BD

National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Bridges to the Doctorate Program (LSAMP-BD).

Research Training Faculty

Twenty-five laboratories under the direction of the training faculty are available for the conduct of research. A list of these research principal investigators and a brief description of their research interests is given at Research Training Faculty. These faculty members are among the best teacher-scholars at the University.

Biomedical Sciences Seminars

The MBRS-RISE Program, and both Bridges to the Future Programs jointly host a weekly seminar series each Friday afternoon of the academic year. The schedule of seminars during the current term are presented online at the Biomedical Sciences Seminars.

Publications by MBRS Students and Faculty

Contact MORE Programs

RISE-Undergraduate