The MBRS RISE Program was developed by the National Institutes of Health in response to the observation that the number of underrepresented minority faculty employed in biomedical research nationally, in universities and in industry, does not proportionally represent the number of underrepresented minority students currently enrolled in universities. A primary reason for this condition is a scarcity of Hispanic, African-American, and American Indian Ph.D.s with training and expertise in biomedical research areas.

NIH MBRS RISE awards aim to augment the biomedical research capacity of minority serving institutions and to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who achieve Ph.D. degrees. MBRS-RISE programs support student and faculty biomedical research activities in over 40 postsecondary institutions located in 19 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

The overall goal of the NMSU RISE Program is to increase the interest, skills, and competitiveness of students in pursuit of biomedical research careers. The program offers support for student development activities, which can include research experiences at on- or off-campus laboratories, workshops for professional skills enhancement and summer research, and travel to scientific meetings.

Currently, 41 NMSU faculty representing three colleges and nine departments serve as research mentors for students in the NMSU MBRS-RISE Program. In addition to research mentors, many academic mentors provide support and training for developmental activities that enhance student academic achievement.

Contact and research information for participating research and academic mentors is accessible from the Find a Mentor tab. Students interested in participating in RISE are encouraged to contact any of the faculty members to learn more about their research.