Funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the NIH. The goal of the URISE program is to increase the number of well-prepared underrepresented (UR) students who matriculate into high caliber Ph.D. or combined M.D.-Ph.D. programs in the biomedical sciences and eventually go on to research careers. This program addresses the need to reduce the disparity in the number of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in biomedical research careers. The long-term goal of this program at Hampton University is to prepare HU graduates to be leaders in biomedical research by improving their preparedness for Ph.D. programs.

The Pre-URISE program is specifically designed for freshmen and sophomore students who are interested in learning about research careers and in becoming academically prepared for them. This program will increase and enhance the pool of URISE trainees at HU by developing the students’ critical thinking, problem solving, quantitative reasoning, and research and communication skills. Participation in the Pre-URISE program will increase the student’s chances of getting into the URISE program. Students completing all the requirements of the Pre-URISE program will receive a certificate of participation of the pre-URISE program at the end of their sophomore year.

The URISE program, on the other hand, is a competitive scholarship program for junior and senior students. It offers the URISE trainees an interdisciplinary curriculum which will ensure their competitiveness in PhD programs at research intensive institutes. The period of appointment to the URISE program is a consecutive 24-month period starting June 1st of the junior year. During this two year period, URISE scholars receive partial tuition and fees support as well as a generous monthly stipend. The URISE scholarship also cover in part the students’ participation in academic year and summer research experiences in funded laboratories and their attendance at scientific conferences.

Students majoring in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, chemical engineering, mathematics, physics, and psychology are eligible to apply for the Pre-URISE and URISE programs at Hampton University. For more details, please check the website for eligibility of Pre-URISE and URISE programs.