LSU, BRCC granted $1.3M to establish new biomedical program

A $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health has been awarded to LSU and Baton Rouge Community College to establish a new biomedical and behavioral sciences education initiative called the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program. The program will encourage underrepresented students in the biomedical and behavioral science fields to complete their associate degrees at BRCC, and then move on to complete bachelor’s degrees at LSU. The program will provide the necessary academic preparation and mentoring needed to complete a baccalaureate degree, as well as more advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The program will facilitate a seamless transition from BRCC to LSU, the schools say, by supporting individual mentoring, peer tutoring, professional development for faculty, pre-college preparation programs, and summer research opportunities. “A more diverse scientific workforce is in the best interest of society and has been demonstrated to enhance creativity and productivity in scientific discovery,” says Kevin Carman, dean of the LSU College of Science and the principal investigator of the grant. “The Bridges Program is designed to help students overcome the obstacles that might otherwise prevent them from realizing their potential.”