Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How can I get MARC to help pay for my undergraduate education?
A. To be eligible for support through a MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U*STAR) Award, you must be an honors student with at least junior status at a college or university that has a U*STAR grant or a grant from U*STAR's predecessor, the Honors Undergraduate Research Training Award. The MARC program directors at institutions with MARC undergraduate grants are responsible for selecting the students to be supported. Click here for a list of MARC-supported institutions or contact the MARC Branch (address and telephone number listed at the end of this document).
Q. How can I get a MARC fellowship to help pay for graduate school?
A. NIGMS funds predoctoral fellowships to enable individuals who are members of minority groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research to obtain graduate research training. Awards are conditional upon acceptance into an approved Ph.D., combined M.D.-Ph.D., or other combined professional-Ph.D. degree program in the biomedical sciences. For information on how to apply, contact Dr. John Norvell, NIGMS Assistant Director for Research Training, at (301) 594-0533, or Dr. Adolphus Toliver, Chief of the MARC Branch, at (301) 594-3900.
Q. What minority groups are underrepresented in biomedical research?
A. For institutional awards such as the MARC U*STAR Award, underrepresented minority students are individuals belonging to a particular ethnic or racial group that has been determined by the grantee institution to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral research. Nationally, individuals who have been found to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral research include, but are not limited to, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands.
Q. I only plan to get a master's degree. Am I eligible for an NIGMS fellowship?
A. No. NIGMS offers predoctoral fellowships only for students who are in a Ph.D., M.D.-Ph.D., or other combined professional-Ph.D. degree program in the biomedical sciences.
Q. I just want to go to medical school. Am I eligible for an NIGMS fellowship?
A. No. NIGMS predoctoral fellowships support medical training only as part of the combined M.D.-Ph.D. degree, which prepares students for careers in biomedical research.
Q. Does MARC support graduate work in all academic fields?
A. MARC awards support training in fields of study that directly prepare students for careers in biomedical research. Such fields of study include: biology, chemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, biophysics, mathematics, pharmacology, biorelated chemistry, biochemistry, some parts of psychology and sociology, and bioengineering (but not other fields of engineering). Some individuals may choose to focus on biomedical aspects of a field whose relevance to biomedical research may not be immediately apparent. Information about this relevance should be included in the grant application.
Q. Must I be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for a MARC award?
A. Yes. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for a MARC award. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.
Q. Does MARC support training for faculty members?
A. Yes. MARC supports predoctoral fellowships for selected full-time faculty members of 4-year colleges, universities, and health professional schools with substantial minority enrollments who have not obtained the research doctorate. MARC also offers a senior faculty fellowship, which enables eligible faculty to update their research skills or move into new research areas. Candidates are nominated by their institutions, must meet the eligibility criteria for MARC awards, and are expected to return to their home institutions upon completion of their training to do research and teach. Another initiative, the MORE Faculty Development Award, gives an eligible applicant the opportunity to spend the summer (or one academic term) every year for 2 to 5 years in full-time research in a research-intensive laboratory.
Q. What is the MARC Visiting Scientist Award?
A. This award provides support for a period of up to 12 months to outstanding scientist-teachers who serve as visiting scientists at eligible minority institutions. MARC also helps fund programs of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and the American Society for Microbiology that sponsor scientists to make short visits to minority institutions.
Q. What is MBRS (Minority Biomedical Research Support)?
A. MBRS is another NIGMS initiative designed to help increase the number of minority biomedical scientists. This program awards grants to minority institutions to support research by faculty members, strengthen the institutions' biomedical research capabilities, and provide opportunities for students to work as part of a research team. For further information about MBRS, write to the MBRS Branch, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 45 Center Drive MSC 6200, Room 2AS.37, Bethesda, MD 20892-6200, or call (301) 594-3900.
Q. What other programs does NIGMS offer to increase the number of minority biomedical scientists?
A. Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities allow principal investigators holding NIGMS research grants to request supplemental funds to support minority scientists and students. The aim of these supplements is to attract and encourage minority individuals to pursue biomedical research careers. Supplements are available for high school students, undergraduate students, graduate research assistants, postdoctoral scientists, and minority investigators.
The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Degree initiative is directed toward increasing the number of underrepresented minorities entering careers in biomedical research from 2-year junior or community colleges. It promotes partnerships between 2-year colleges and institutions that award the baccalaureate degree in areas of science relevant to biomedical research.
The Bridges to the Doctoral Degree initiative is directed toward increasing the number of underrepresented minorities entering careers in biomedical research from institutions offering master of science degree programs. It promotes partnerships between institutions that award the M.S. degree as the terminal degree and universities that award the Ph.D. degree.
The Initiative for Minority Student Development seeks to encourage the development and/or expansion of innovative programs to improve the academic and research competitiveness of underrepresented minority students at the undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral levels and to facilitate their progress toward careers in biomedical research. Awards are made to domestic, private and public, educational institutions that are involved in biomedical research and training. The institutions select the students to be supported.
Q. How can I apply for a MARC grant?
A. There is no application form for undergraduate students interested in the MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research Award, the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Degree initiative, the Bridges to the Doctoral Degree initiative, or the Initiative for Minority Student Development. Since these are institutional awards, students are selected by the institutions that receive these grants. Colleges and universities that have a significant minority student population can request applications from the NIGMS MORE Division, 45 Center Drive MSC 6200, Room 2AS.37, Bethesda, MD 20892-6200, telephone (301) 594-3900. Applications for the MARC Predoctoral Fellowship, the Faculty Awards, and the Visiting Scientist Award are also available from the MORE Division.
For information on how to apply for Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities, call Dr. Anthony A. René at (301) 594-3833.
For more information on Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Programs, contact:
MARC Branch
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
National Institutes of Health
45 Center Drive MSC 6200, Room 2AS.43
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: (301) 594-3900
e-mail tolivera@nigms.nih.gov
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