Year 3

The goal of UC, Santa Barbara’s Research Mentorship Program (RMP) is to excite pre­-college students about scientific research by partnering them with a UC, Santa Barbara researcher or professor performing research. They spend their 6 ­weeks on campus learning research techniques and working directly with researchers. As such, the Creativity Grant was a perfect match for the program, particularly as UC, Santa Barbara is actively involved in stem ­cell research.

In this third year of the grant, UCSB was able to identify 7 such students for receipt of a CIRM stipend. These students do not perform the actual research, but instead, work under the tutelage of a stem ­cell scientist in helping with a component of the scientists’ research. Eight of the ten recipients were able to attend the CIRM Conference and Poster Session in San Francisco. Our survey feedback from students involved in CIRM was overwhelmingly positive, with several indicated they believe a life of research is their future. The Research Mentorship Program will be following these students progress as they enter university in the next two years, to discover their chosen university as well as the majors they’ve selected.