Thank you for your interest in the MARC program. After 45 years, and hundreds of undergraduates trained and launched into amazing scientific careers as doctoral level scientists, the MARC program has ended. We celebrate our students and their accomplishments and will continue to seek out ways to support the highly talented and dedicated future scientists.

MARC was a training program, not a scholarship. Our goal was to have our students be as prepared as possible for doctoral program entry. As a result, when a student entered MARC, we helped them to plan their next two years, ultimately leading to graduate school interviews and acceptance. See the MARC Individual Development Plan.

MARC students completed coursework and participated in activities that were designed to enhance their educational experience and improve their chance of gaining admission into premiere doctoral programs. They were from a number of fields, but all were required to gain an understanding of basic biological concepts and how their field intersected with the biological or behavioral sciences. The major program activities are included below.

Required Activities

Coursework Thesis Weekly Sessions Research Leadership Conference Other

Coursework

  • Biology I or Biosciences for non-majors
  • Two semesters of Honors Research credit (similar to Independent Study) in their major (6 credits total): BIO 4993, CHEM 4993, CS 4993, EGR 4993 (for BME unless BME 4993 is developed), MAT 4993, PHY 4993, PSY 4993, or STA 4993
  • University Sponsored Responsible Conduct in Research, Laboratory Safety, and Compliance activities

In addition, all trainees should have completed:

  • Statistics or equivalent
  • Upper division courses pertinent to the focus of their laboratory (Biophysics, Biochemistry, etc.)

We believe that these additional courses enhance student preparation for doctoral programs in the biological, chemical, or biologically-oriented computational sciences, without creating an overwhelming burden on students who are already carrying a heavy course load. Most, if not all, of these courses would be counted towards the individual student's degree program.

Thesis or Master's Work

All MARC students were required to complete a complete a MARC thesis or substantial contribution (including writing) of a scientific publication. Those creating a thesis created it in the form of a graduate thesis (although shorter). Briefly, this involved the creation of a manuscript that described the student's research project. The format was identical to that of an Honors Thesis and could also be used for College of Sciences Undergraduate Thesis. Receipt of the final stipend check was conditional on submission of the thesis.

MARC Weekly Sessions

Approximately once weekly, MARC trainees gathered for training, networking, or psychosocial wellness sessions.

Research

All students were expected to work at least 16 hours during the school year and full time (40 hours) in the summer. Limited summer classes were allowed subject to permission by the program director and research mentor. In summer,students taking two courses were advised to take one non-lab class during the day and one in the evening/weekends...or both in the evenings. They were advised to NOT take horribly difficult courses in the summer. At least once, prior to graduation, students attended an off-campus Summer Research Program, preferably one that was at a graduate school that the student might wish to attend. See more information about summer internships.

Leadership

MARC trainees were encouraged to take positions of leadership in student organizations, and to receive training through engagement with the Leadership and Volunteer Services. Leadership experience is very important for a student who hopes to be awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Conference Attendance

All MARC trainees attended at least two conferences prior to graduation. The first was either SACNAS or ABRCMS, two student-oriented conferences where participants have the opportunity to learn additional professional development topics, are introduced to a variety of fields of interest for graduate study, and network with graduate schools/summer program managers. The second was a professional conference with their research mentor. In addition, MARC trainees participated in a variety of on-campus opportunities to present.

Other

There were a number of other activities in which MARC students participated, including but not limited to graduate school application, mock interviews, StrengthsQuest assessment, and various evaluation activities.