Send MARC students to ABRCMS

We are looking for support to send a group of incredible undergraduates to a national biomedical research conference so that they can gain presentation experience, network with scientists and increase their chances of getting into top graduate programs. These undergraduates are in the Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) undergraduate research program.

The MARC program is a new, intensive year-round undergraduate research program servicing students in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Each year, at least three fellows are selected for the program. Each cohort of fellows participates for three years, during which they are paired with a faculty member completing medical research. They are also paired with near-peer mentors and career mentors; the fellows participate in professional development workshops year-round to prepare them for graduate studies. The overall goal of the MARC program is to cultivate the potential of undergraduates to pursue graduate studies in medical research. Our process is to use research experience, mentoring and professional development to make students outstanding candidates for graduate admissions in bioengineering, biology, chemistry, neuroscience and other fields. This project is important because there is a critical need in our society to understand disease and improve treatments for a variety of conditions including cancer, pain, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and psychiatric disease.

A critical aspect to successfully applying for graduate school in biomedicine is the ability to present one’s research. Our fundraising is directed towards covering the travel costs for MARC fellows and chaperones to the biggest undergraduate national research conference, ABRCMS, in 2024. 100% of the money raised will be used directly to support the travel of our group to the ABRCMS conference. We aim to raise at least $2,000 to pay for airfare, lodging, food and poster printing costs for our fellows and chaperones. If there are any leftover funds after paying for travel, that money will be used in 2025 for our next cohort of MARC fellows.

If we are able to raise funds beyond our goal of $2,000, we will be able to bring additional students to present at this meeting. For example, last year we were able to support the travel of two additional talented undergraduates to attend the conference. For all of these students, presenting at ABRCMS provides a huge boost to their confidence (in talking about science and presenting in front of people) and provides opportunities to interact with hundreds of directors of PhD graduate programs from across the country.

The broader impact on the Dallas community includes increasing the name recognition of The University of Texas at Dallas as a top STEM university that produces and prepares excellent undergraduate researchers. Furthermore, many of our UT Dallas STEM majors stay in the Dallas area after graduation. Thus, support of this travel fund request springboards these students’ entry into the biomedical workforce in Dallas enhancing the well-being of all residents. 

The MARC program group includes an incredibly talented and diverse group of undergraduates along with a dedicated group of faculty, advisors and staff members who are dedicated to undergraduate student success. 

If you want to know more about the MARC program please check out our website MARC.UTDallas.edu or follows us on Instagram @utdneuroscience.