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. 2021 Dec 1;45(4):786-796.
doi: 10.1152/advan.00232.2020.

Building a biomedical pipeline: the impact of the Idaho IDeA INBRE summer research experience at a primarily undergraduate institution

Sara J Heggland  1 , Carolyn J Hovde  2   3 , Scott A Minnich  2   3 , Linda E Liou  3 , Richard L Daniels  1
Affiliations

Building a biomedical pipeline: the impact of the Idaho IDeA INBRE summer research experience at a primarily undergraduate institution

Sara J Heggland et al. Adv Physiol Educ. .

Abstract

Idaho Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) aims to build biomedical research capacity and enhance the scientific and technology knowledge of the Idaho workforce. A key INBRE Program at The College of Idaho, a primarily undergraduate institution of 1,100 students, is a 10-wk summer fellows research experience. This report documents outcomes from 2005 to present, including demographic trends, faculty and student research productivity, self-reported gains, educational attainment, and career outcomes. Of 103 participants, 83.7% were from Idaho, 26.7% from rural areas, and 23.9% first-generation college students. Faculty and student research productivity (conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications) increased threefold. We found that 91.4% of fellows entered a scientific- or healthcare-related career and that 70.7% completed or are currently enrolled in postgraduate training (51.7% doctoral and 19.0% master's level). Anonymous surveys were uniformly positive, with gains in self-confidence and independent laboratory work. Open-ended responses indicated students valued mentoring efforts and improved awareness of scientific opportunities and competitive preparation for postgraduate training. Lastly, we observed that student research involvement increased college-wide during the award period. These data suggest that the summer fellows program is successfully meeting National Institutes of Health IDeA goals and serving as a pipeline to future health research careers and a scientifically trained Idaho workforce.

Keywords: INBRE; Idaho; biomedical; undergraduate; undergraduate research.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
To-scale map of Idaho next to states and main cities of the eastern United States. The bar shows distance from north to south. The College of Idaho is in southwestern Idaho.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Specific aims of the statewide Idaho IDeA INBRE Program. These aims have been broadly similar across multiple funding renewals from 2005 to present. The summer research fellowship program at The College of Idaho works toward these goals. IDeA, Institutional Development Award; INBRE, IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Goals of The College of Idaho INBRE summer fellows program. Participation in the summer fellows program led to 4 goals. In turn, these goals act to form a pipeline for students to enter health research careers and the scientifically trained workforce. IDeA, Institutional Development Award; INBRE, IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Demographics of the INBRE summer fellowship participants. The pie charts show the percentage of student participants by location of where they graduated from high school (A), first-generation college status (B), gender (C), and rural status (D) based on the location of the last high school attended and that location’s eligibility status for Rural Health Grants from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration. IDeA, Institutional Development Award; INBRE, IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Scientific conference presentations from The College of Idaho undergraduates and faculty who participated in INBRE-funded research from 2005 to 2019. Each bar represents the means ± SD for a 5-yr period (2005–2009, 2010–2014, and 2015–2019). Groups with different letters are significantly different from each other (A,B,CP < 0.05). IDeA, Institutional Development Award; INBRE, IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Publications from The College of Idaho undergraduates and faculty who participated in INBRE-funded research from 2005 to 2019. Each bar represents the means ± SD for a 5-yr period (2005–2009, 2010–2014, and 2015–2019). Groups with different letters are significantly different from each other (A,BP <0.05). IDeA, Institutional Development Award; INBRE, IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
INBRE summer fellows highest degree earned or currently working toward completion. Survey participants were asked to indicate what was the highest degree they had earned or were currently working toward as an enrolled student. IDeA, Institutional Development Award; INBRE, IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Career choices of INBRE summer fellows. Participants were asked to state their career path based on the options provided. IDeA, Institutional Development Award; INBRE, IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Number of student summer researchers in biology and chemistry from 2004 to 2019. The light gray bar represents INBRE-funded students. The dark gray bar represents NON-INBRE-funded students who were supported by internal college or external federal or nonfederal awards other than INBRE. IDeA, Institutional Development Award; INBRE, IDeA Network of Biomedical Excellence.
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