Full Text RR-94-001 NCRR MINORITY INITIATIVE: K-12 TEACHERS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS NIH GUIDE, Volume 22, Number 45, December 17, 1993 RFA: RR-94-001 P.T. 44, FF Keywords: Biomedical Research Training National Center for Research Resources Letter of Intent Receipt Date: January 24, 1994 Application Receipt Date: February 23, 1994 PURPOSE As part of its continuing commitment to strengthen the quality of precollege health science education and to improve the scientific literacy of the public as a whole, the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) solicits applications for a program aimed at increasing the pool of underrepresented minority high school students who are interested and academically prepared to pursue careers in biomedical/behavioral research and the health professions. The program will include both K-12 inservice and preservice teachers and minority high school students. This new competitive program, intended to replace the (S03) Minority High School Student Research Apprentice Program (MHSSRAP), will be phased in over the next few years. Accordingly, the S03 mechanism will be phased down over that period. The main component of this program is to provide structured summer science research experiences under the direction of active biomedical/behavioral researchers for both teachers and minority students. The individualized research experiences and other activities are intended to: (1) allow teachers to keep pace with the explosive growth of scientific knowledge in health related areas such as genetics, molecular biology, and the neurosciences, enable them to develop new discovery-oriented educational strategies, and transfer this new knowledge to their students; (2) provide students with a personalized, hands-on exposure to health related research that stimulates their research interest and encourages decisions towards careers in the health sciences; and (3) allow practicing research scientists, who serve as mentors and ensure the scientific accuracy of the program, to play a greater role in developing the content of precollege education. Another component of the program is to provide follow-up activities during the academic year for both teachers and students. A long range goal of the program is to establish and/or strengthen partnerships between research intensive institutions and K-12 schools by developing mentoring ties among teachers, minority students, and biomedical/behavioral researchers that will result in creating more pathways for minority students to enter the health sciences pipeline. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Applications may be submitted by domestic, for-profit and non- profit organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of State and local governments, and eligible agencies of the Federal government. High schools may not apply. Applicants who have submitted an application in response to PAR-94-001, "Minority High School Student Research Apprentice Program," may submit an application in response to this Request for Applications (RFA). Underrepresented minorities are defined as 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. Individuals who have been found to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral research nationally include, but are not limited to, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Students are defined as those who are enrolled in high school during the current academic year, or who have just graduated from high school. Participants must be U.S. citizens or have a permanent visa. Inservice teachers include elementary, middle, junior, and senior high school science teachers. In order to maximize the program's impact on minority students, teachers must be members of a minority group or teach a significant number of minority students. Preservice teachers are those teachers in training and enrolled in preservice education programs and who have an expressed interest in teaching life sciences at the K-12 level especially with a focus on minority students. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT Awards under the RFA will use the education project (R25) grant mechanism. Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant. The total project period for applications submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed three years. Because of the wide range in the size and type of institutions that may apply, it is anticipated that the sizes of the awards may vary also. However, it is anticipated that the average direct cost award will be approximately $30,000. The anticipated award date is September 1, 1994. Applications must request both students and teachers, with a minimum of eight students. Indirect costs other than those awarded to State or local government agencies will be reimbursed at eight percent of total allowable direct costs. State and local government agencies will receive reimbursement at their full indirect cost rate. Allowable costs Funds may be requested for students and teachers and must be paid as salaries and wages; stipends are not allowable costs under this program. While grantee institutions must establish the rate of compensation to be paid to teachers, it is expected that the amounts will be based on their actual monthly salary and fringe benefits and prorated accordingly. Students' salaries should be based on the prevailing scale for comparable type work, but should not be less than the Federal minimum hourly wage. Funds to defray other costs, such as equipment and research supplies can be requested as a lump sum of up to $250 per participant per year. FUNDS AVAILABLE Approximately $2,500,000 will be available from the NCRR in Fiscal Year 1994 to support this initiative. Subject to receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications, it is anticipated that approximately 75 awards will be made. Future awards will be contingent upon the availability of funds for this purpose. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Background Relative to their representation in the general population, minority Americans are severely underrepresented in scientific and health fields at every level, from the professional work force - physicians, dentists, research scientists - through all levels of the educational system. Although there are a number of factors for this underrepresentation, it is generally agreed that the long term resolution of this problem centers at improving science education of minority youths at the early stages of the educational process. With the rapid pace of technological innovations and the increasing number of occupations that require a knowledge of scientific principles, as well as the predicted increase in the minority population, it is imperative that precollege education further enhance the capacity and capability of minority youth to become more productive and competitive in tomorrow's work force. The primary objectives of this program are to improve the quality of precollege science education and to increase the pool of minorities interested and prepared to enter college and pursue a career in the biomedical/behavioral sciences. Program Characteristics The program director will be responsible for the selection and recruitment of students, teachers, and mentors, as well as for the overall direction of the program. The program director must be a biomedical/behavioral scientist or a science educator employed by the applicant organization. The program has two major activities. The first is for minority high school students; the second is for K-12 inservice and preservice teachers. While the proposed program should be best suited to an institution's own strength and characteristics, at a minimum, each program should include: o a description of the proposed overall program plan (specific research projects should not be described); o a description of the research environment (ongoing research activity, availability of equipment, facilities, resources); o methods of student, teacher, and mentor recruitment and selection; o methods to assign students and teachers to mentors; o the length of the research experiences; o other special enrichment activities available to students and teachers; o plans to evaluate the success of the program; o prior accomplishments of the institution in precollege education; o the level of institutional commitment to precollege programs and partnerships; and o the impact of other precollege programs, if any, on this activity. Special enrichment activities should be made available to all participants such as special seminar programs on research opportunities in the health sciences. All teachers and students should be exposed to bioethical issues in biomedical/behavioral research. An array of topics may be included -- for example, the use of animals in research, implications of the human genome efforts, and environmental issues. Annual seminar forums should be held where students and teachers present their research results. Such activities may include parents or other family members. Criteria for selection of mentors should include: commitment to improving the quality of precollege science education, the ability and time to work with high school students and teachers to instill an understanding of research, the technical skill needed, and their area of specialization. Preceptors should have some active biomedical or behavioral research support and a publication history in biomedical/behavioral research. Research support can include NIH or other Federal agency support or private or institutional grants. In addition, the program director and the awardee institution will be expected to assess the program's progress. Methods, formative in nature, should be devised to measure the extent to which the teachers have integrated new scientific skills and new concepts in biomedical/behavioral sciences into the classroom. Student participants should be assessed as to the extent to which they have developed positive attitudes towards science and science research. A system must be instituted to trace the career paths of the students to determine if they attended and graduated from college and their major academic area. Specific characteristics regarding the student and teachers activities are as follows. Student Activities This aspect of the program provides matching up high school students for six to eight weeks in the summer, on a ratio of not more than two students to one mentor, in an active research laboratory. This research experience should expose the student to some of the latest concepts in biomedicine such as cellular and molecular biology, human genetics, neurosciences, or the behavioral aspects of diseases. Students should also be encouraged to return as often as possible during the academic year for follow-up activities such as seminars, workshops, or Saturday morning study groups on current topics in the biomedical/behavioral sciences. These experiences should prompt the students' understanding of basic scientific concepts far beyond that achievable through a textbook experience. The exposure should also stir their curiosity to take more courses in science and heighten their awareness of health sciences as a potential career choice. To achieve this goal, it is expected that the applicant will describe a program that will provide: o an independent, hands-on, mentored laboratory experience with attainable goals; o mentoring and career guidance by biomedical/behavioral scientists; o an opportunity for students to integrate into the various activities of the laboratory and acquaint them with the environment and resources of the institution; and o an increased awareness of the importance of biomedical/behavioral research and helps the students to evaluate research or other health sciences as career possibilities. While it is expected that students will be able to complete their research experience during the course of the summer, students may return for successive summer experiences. In addition, mentors should try to visit the students' schools to meet with the students' teachers, recruit future candidates for the program, and help build effective partnerships between research institutions and secondary schools. These efforts will help increase the quality of precollege science education. Recruitment and selection criteria for students should include: the student's motivation, ability, scholastic aptitude, and accomplishments. In addition, consideration should be given to science teachers' recommendations. Teacher Activities Although K-12 teachers are the key individuals in increasing the pool of scientifically skilled minority high school students: (1) most preservice teaching programs do not require a hands-on laboratory experience; (2) most elementary school teachers have had no opportunity for training in science; and (3) most middle, junior, and senior high school teachers need retraining in the latest scientific concepts. To address these deficiencies, it is expected that the applicant will describe a program that will provide inservice and preservice teachers with an intensive, hands-on mentored laboratory research experience that: o exposes them to contemporary concepts in the health sciences; o updates their computer-based skills and modern laboratory techniques; o enables them, in collaboration with their research mentor, to prepare new discovery based lesson plans; and o helps them to excite students' interest in health sciences and stimulate the students to take more science courses, consider college programs and pursue careers in biomedical/behavioral research or other health related professions. Teacher programs should include follow-up components in which participants discuss some of the experiences they had in implementing new scientific activities in the classroom. Teachers should be encouraged to communicate with each other as well as their research mentors to continue the partnership relationships. Recruitment and selection criteria for inservice teachers should include: experience and teaching responsibilities, level of interest in participating in a research program, expected impact on their teaching programs, ability to stimulate minority students to pursue scientific careers, and future plans for continued interaction with the research institution. Recruitment and selection criteria for preservice teachers should include: commitment to participating in a research program and expressed interest in teaching life sciences at the K-12 level especially with a focus on minority students. LETTER OF INTENT Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by January 24, 1994, a letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed program, the name, address, and telephone number of the Program Director, and the number and title of the RFA in response to which the application may be submitted. Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of subsequent applications, the information contained is helpful in planning for the review of applications. It allows NCRR staff to estimate the potential review workload and to avoid possible conflict of interest in the review. The letter of intent is to be sent to: Dr. Marjorie A. Tingle Biomedical Research Support Program National Center for Research Resources Westwood Building, Room 10A11 Bethesda, MD 20892 APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applications are to be submitted using form PHS 398 (rev. 9/91). These forms are available in most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be requested from the Office of Grants Information, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health, 5333 Westbard Avenue, Room 449, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone (301) 710-0267. Applications must follow the instructions provided in the PHS 398 form except for the following: Form Page 1 Item 2a. - Identify the number and title of this RFA and check the box marked "YES." Item 2b. - Type "R25" in 2b. Item 4. Human Subjects - Not relevant (no project description). Item 5. Vertebrate Animals - Not relevant (no project description). Item 6. The project period begin date should be 09-01-94. The length of the project period may not exceed three years. Form Page 4 - Detailed Budget for Initial Budget Period. Personnel Category - Follow the instructions provided in the PHS 398 regarding the Principal Investigator/Program Director. Using successive lines in the Personnel Category, indicate the number of positions being requested for students, preservice, and inservice teachers. For each of these classifications, provide requested information regarding type of appointment/months, percent of effort on project, and institutional base salary, as well as the dollar amounts being requested. Salary and fringe benefit support may be requested only for the students and teachers; no salary will be provided for the Program Director. Other Expenses - Up to $250 per student and teacher participant may be requested to defray costs such as minor equipment and supplies required for their research experiences. Form Page 5 - Budget for the Entire Proposed Project Period - Follow instructions provided on page 19 of the PHS 398 kit. Justification - Applicants should provide sufficient information regarding the support requested for students, preservice, and inservice teachers to permit the reviewers to evaluate the requested costs compared to the proposed length of the research experience. If the proposed program includes academic year as well as summer involvement, provide separate budgetary justification regarding each. Applicants should also explain any increases or decreases over the initial budget period, e.g., if students and/or teachers are expected to return for a portion of a succeeding period and will require salary and other support during this period. Additional Form Pages Biographical Sketch Page - Provide a biographical sketch for the Program Director and each proposed mentor, strictly adhering to the 2 page limitation for each. Other Support Page - Provide the information requested for the Program Director and each proposed mentor. Resources and Environment Page - Follow the PHS 398 instructions. Specific Instructions - Research Plan The following instructions should be used in lieu of the PHS 398 instructions for this section of the application. The Research Plan section of the application must strictly adhere to a limit of 15 pages, including a maximum of three letters of institutional support. Include sufficient information to facilitate an effective review; be specific, informative, and avoid redundancies. The outline suggested below should be followed in describing the program. A. Background Provide a brief description of past, current, and pending similar programs of precollege education and their relation, if any, to the proposed program. The information may be provided in tabular form. B. Proposed Program At a minimum, provide information regarding: 1. A description of the proposed program; 2. A description of the research environment and how it relates to the proposed program (e.g., ongoing research activity, availability of equipment, facilities, and resources); 3. Methods of student, teacher, and mentor recruitment and selection; 4. Methods to assign students and teachers to mentors (specific research projects should not be described); 5. The length of the student, preservice, and inservice teacher programs; 6. Other special enrichment activities available to the students and teachers; 7. Plans to evaluate the success of the program; and 8. Prior accomplishments of the institution in precollege education. C. Institutional Supporting Data Include a minimum of one and a maximum of three letters of institutional support. The letter(s) should be from a highly placed institutional official, at the level of Dean or above, who is in a position to commit the institutional resources necessary to assure effective conduct of the project. In addition, describe any relevant resources and/or opportunities available to the institution. Describe the level of institutional commitment and support for other research related activities. Use this section for other pertinent material which does not fall naturally into any other previous categories. Appendix - No appendix material will be allowed. The RFA label in the PHS 398 kit must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application. Failure to use this label could result in delayed processing of the application such that it may not reach the review committee in time for review. The signed, typewritten original of the application, including the Checklist, and three exact photocopies of the signed application must be submitted to: Division of Research Grants National Institutes of Health Westwood Building, Room 240 Bethesda, MD 20892** At time of submission, two additional copies of the application must also be sent to: Dr. Mary Ann Sestili Office of Review National Center for Research Resources Westwood Building, Room 10A-16 Bethesda, MD 20892 Applications must be submitted by February 23, 1994. Applications submitted after this date will be returned to the applicant. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Applications will be reviewed by DRG staff for completeness and by NCRR staff to determine administrative and programmatic responsiveness to this RFA. Those applications judged to be incomplete or nonresponsive will be returned to the applicant without review. Those applications considered complete and responsive may be subjected to a triage review by an NCRR peer review group to determine their scientific merit relative to the other applications submitted in response to this RFA. The NIH will withdraw from competition those applications judged by the triage peer review group to be noncompetitive for award and will so notify the applicant investigator and the institutional business official. Those applications judged to be competitive for award will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate ad hoc review committee(s) to be convened by the Office of Review, NCRR. The second level of review will be provided by the National Advisory Research Resources Council in June 1994. Criteria for review of applications include the following: o the overall scientific quality and educational content of the proposed program; o appropriateness of the plans considering the size, strengths, and characteristics of the institution; o the qualifications of the Program Director and the proposed mentors; o the method of recruitment, selection and assignment of students, teachers, and mentors; o the institution's plans for evaluating the overall program; o the institutional commitment to providing a quality research experience and to precollege education partnerships; o prior accomplishments in precollege education; o impact of the proposal in meeting overall program goals. AWARD CRITERIA The following will be considered when making funding decisions: the quality of the proposed application as determined by peer review, availability of funds, program balance among the types of institutions and geographic distribution of the awards. INQUIRIES Written and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Dr. Marjorie A. Tingle or Dr. Abraham Levy Biomedical Research Support Program National Center for Research Resources Westwood Building, Room 10A11 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 594-7947 Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Ms. Mary V. Niemiec Office of Grants and Contracts Management National Center for Research Resources Westwood Building, Room 849 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 594-7955 AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS Awards will be made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title III, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended, 42 USC 241) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements for Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. .
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