Taking to heart the Vincentian Mission espoused by St. John’s
University -- which calls for “providing excellent education for
all people, especially those lacking economic, physical, or social
advantages” -- Professor Tim Carter then in the early 1990s
sought and received grants totaling nearly $3 million from the
National Institutes of Health’s Initiative for Minority Student
Development (IMSD) to create and support an innovative program to
help and encourage underserved minority students to pursue careers
in biomedical science.
Today, under the direction of Dr. Jay Zimmerman, current
Chairman of the department, the fruits of his effort are being
harvested as competent, confident and talented scientists graduate
from St. John’s IMSD program and take their places in the nation’s
top research laboratories, perhaps to become the next Watson, Crick
or McClintock.
Students considered for the IMSD program must possess academic
records that reflect a high level of achievement in their previous
studies. And while the majority of applicants are undergraduates,
masters and doctoral students may also participate although at a
much higher level of activity and scholarship. All applicants are
asked up front what kind of a commitment they are willing to make
to the program; how they answer that question could very well be
the determining factor in whether they are accepted or not. At
present, 22 students are enrolled in a program designed by
Professor Zimmerman and his team.
Once accepted, freshman or sophomores embark on a rigorous 12
month per year program. In addition to regular course work, they
first rotate through a series of St. John’s laboratories, working
with various faculty members on research projects. Each student’s
laboratory receives an annual grant (approximately $1000) to
reimburse costs incurred at the laboratory in which they do
research; they also receive a salary, which is renewable each year.
Once a week, students meet in a “data club,” where they exchange
information with graduate students and faculty and where they have
their first opportunity to present scientific papers. In subsequent
years, while continuing their and on-campus laboratory work,
students also attend outside seminars, host and are responsible for
the needs of visiting minority scientists and undergo one-on-one
career counseling.
The program ratchets up a notch in the junior year as research
expectations are raised and students become eligible for full
scholarships. Each is expected to spend the summer at the end of
the junior year in a research laboratory – large or small,
government, industry or university -- outside New York State, where
they observe the day-to-day operations and participate in research
being done there. Last year St. John’s students worked in labs at
the National Institutes of Health, Duke, Louisiana State, the
University of Virginia, and Brown.
Upon return to the Queens campus students share their
experiences with their peers and professors at a day-long retreat,
discussing varied experiences ranging from how to select a mentor
to discoveries made in the lab. They are also expected to present
papers on their findings at a biomedical science conference, for
which they receive considerable coaching from faculty
beforehand.
Some additions to the program are anticipated at this time.
Professor Zimmerman advises that he is currently awaiting approval
from IMSD program administrators in Washington to add a “critical
thinking skills” institute to the summer curriculum. If approved,
it would be open to any undergraduate student doing summer
research, regardless of their affiliation to IMSD.
Asked to comment on the value of this program to the University
and to the wider community, Professor Zimmerman explained that IMSD
“is virtually defined by the Vincentian Mission. We enable
underserved, underprivileged students to recognize and achieve a
goal that they had previously never considered. In addition to the
benefits to individual students, as a group they are a critical
resource for America and this program ensures that such a resource
is not wasted or lost.
“With more than 90 percent of our students going on to careers
in biomedical research, our program has been very successful. And
as director of the program, I have a unique opportunity to work
with bright, highly motivated students – a joy for any
teacher!”
Caroline and Victoria explain 'Why St.
John's'.