City College of New York

Division of Science

MARC/RISE

1. Overview
2. What is the difference between MARC and RISE?
3. Who is eligible?
4. The Student Trainee Research Experience
5. Career Development and the Graduate School Application Process

Overview
     The MARC and RISE programs are NIH (National Institutes of Health) funded programs that aim to increase the numbers of talented underrepresented minority groups in the sciences. These programs provide stipends and specialized training for academically qualified undergraduates (and in some cases graduate students as well) committed to pursuing careers in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Students must be fulltime, majoring in Science, Biomedical Engineering, or Psychology (though students interested in mathematics or computer science with biomedical applications such as crystallography or bioinformatics are encouraged to apply), and committed to pursuing graduate training (PhD); students intending to pursue clinical degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, optometry, etc. are not eligible. Students interested in the MD/PhD degree may apply, but will be evaluated carefully.

    The MARC program is for Honors students, while the RISE program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Eligibility and application details are spelled out in the How to apply link.

What is the difference between MARC and RISE?

MARC and RISE are two distinct NIH programs. The MARC program is open only to undergraduates who have completed their first 2 years of study; trainees are limited to a 24-month period of support. MARC is an Honors program; thus MARC trainees are also expected to have somewhat higher GPAs and to be enrolled in Honors Research. Undergraduate RISE trainees may transfer to the MARC program if they satisfy the eligibility requirements. The CCNY RISE program does also support a limited number of graduate students.

Who is eligible?

To apply to the MARC program:

• Must be a U.S. citizen or hold Permanent Resident Status (i.e., a green card).
• Must belong to a group under-represented in biomedical and behavioral research    (these include but are not limited to African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Pacific Islander).
• Must be an undergraduate majoring in Science, Biomedical Engineering, or Psychology, and indicate an intent to pursue graduate training (Ph.D.), NOT a clinical career.               IF YOU INTEND TO APPLY TO MEDICAL SCHOOL YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE!

• Must have a GPA of 3.2 or higher and be a full-time student.

• Must have completed at least 60 credits, and earned no more than 90 credits in the semester or application (i.e. ideally you will be a 1st semester Junior when you start).

• Must not have other employment.

To apply to the RISE program:

• As above but a GPA of 3.0 is sufficient
• Graduate students are also eligible to apply

The Student Trainee Research Experience

Each student is assigned to (i.e. chooses) a faculty advisor who is currently active and funded in biomedical research, and can thus begin to introduce the student to the research environment at City College. The advisor will work with the student to maintain high academic performance, to monitor the student's personal situation for potential difficulties, and to serve as an early role model for the student interested in biomedical research. The programs and faculty advisors work closely with other college programs such as the City College Academy for Professional Preparation (CCAPP).

Selection of a Research Mentor and Introduction to Research Methodology - The selection of a research mentor, introduction to research methodology and the first phase of the research will typically begin in the summer before the students' junior year and into the Fall semester. Trainees select a research mentor based upon their knowledge of the research projects being carried out in the laboratories of potential mentors.Beginning with the Spring semester of the junior year, the trainees will continue their laboratory research - generally under the auspices of a three-semester sequence of three-credit Honors or Independent Study Research courses, which are already a part of the curriculum for each science department. An extramural research training experience (for example a summer research experience at another host institution) may also be included.

Research Projects - Trainees will be required to work an average of 10 hours a week on their research projects during the academic year and 15-20 hours in the summer. They will submit progress reports to their mentors for review at the end of each semester. The corrected draft will be resubmitted to the mentor, with a copy to be sent to the program office. The final report, based on the results of their research, will be written in the format of an article for a professional journal in the field of the students' research. These may be published (with the mentor's approval) in the Division of Science's Journal of Student Research.

Career Development and the Graduate School Application Process

The central theme of the MARC and RISE programs is that successful students in the sciences will be more likely to choose a career path in biomedical research if they are as fully acquainted as possible with the personal and professional details about these careers and the academic credentials necessary for entrance into such careers. Once students become interested in pursuing a field of biomedical research, the idea of obtaining a Ph.D. and the choice of course of study and particular graduate school falls more smoothly into place. Therefore, it is a primary goal to help students specify desirable areas for continued study, before they seriously consider their choice of a graduate school. As part of the training program, seminars and presentations from noted visiting scientists and other graduate students in academia, government, and industry are given throughout the academic year.

Information about and choice of prospective graduate schools: As a result of continued participation in journal clubs, the seminars, the visits to other laboratories and discussions about those visits, the student trainees reaching their senior year will be aware of the leading scientists and research groups in several potential areas of interest. To give the trainees wide exposure to possible fields of study that they have not previously considered,the MARC and RISE programs maintain information and literature about possible graduate research mentors working in all areas of biomedical science. This information comes from a variety of sources including institutional faculty research profiles, meeting presentation abstracts, the ACS Directory of Graduate Research, pharmaceutical and biotech company information flyers, much of which is available on the World Wide Web. The database is consulted by the trainees as a prelude to visits to prospective graduate schools. 

    In addition to trainees doing research in laboratories alongside graduate students, they are

provided with information on the varieties of graduate study, the numerous choices of degree programs and the procedures for pursuing graduate education, ranging from admissions, financial aid, coursework, examinations, dissertation, teaching, postdocs/jobs, and the impact that these have on personal/family life, earnings, etc.

Attendance at National Meetings: Students regularly present the results of their research at a national meeting, generally in poster format. Meetings include the national Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS), as well as meetings of professional societies, such as the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the American Society for Microbiology.

    Trainees attend at least two national meetings during their two-year participation in the program.The meetings showcase current research in the biomedical field and allow students to obtain an overview of the reseach done at other institutions. Trainees may also make important contacts for graduate school. In addition, the large professional meetings have technical exhibits and workshops which enhance students' understanding of the current state of biomedical science.

Workshops: A weekly series of workshops offered during the academic year provides the trainees with an understanding of and facility with skills such as public speaking and presentation, writing, ethics and personal responsibility, problem-solving, active listening, persuasion, negotiation, team-building, and time and resource management. Training in these skills is integrated into the required coursework for the trainees.