INBRE PROBE

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Enhancing Undergraduate Biomedical Research

The National Institutes of Health fund the USCA Passport to Research Opportunities in Biomedicine (PROBe) program through the South Carolina IDeaA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). The PROBe program is a multi-pronged strategy to expand and enhance biomedical research on the USC Aiken campus.

The primary strategy of the program is to:

Enhance current research activities by formalizing the identification and recruitment of freshmen/sophomores into our biomedical research laboratories;
Create/manage Stage One (Primer award) and Stage Two (Extension award) competitive research grants for entry-level and continuing undergraduates; and
Strengthen our research culture by creating a biomedical research forum as part of the USC Aiken Research Day activities.

INBRE Research Faculty

William Jackson USCA PROBe Program Director Primer Director Department of Biology and Geology	Nathan Hancock PROBe Connect Director Department of Biology and Geology	April DeLaurier Extension Director Department of Biology and Geology	Mary K. Mills Department of Biology and Geology
Laura Swain Department of Psychology	Michele Harmon Department of Biology and Geology	Ken Roberts Department of Chemistry and Physics	Michelle Vieyra Department of Biology and Geology

About the Primer Program

The Primer Research program represents stage I of the PROBe program. Students in their first year of biomedical research (primarily freshmen and sophomores) are encouraged to apply for funding through the PROBe Primer award program.

Each Primer Award will be funded for up to $3000 to fund his or her research project. Competition for this award will be through the submission of a research, scholarship, or creative project proposal developed in collaboration with a USC Aiken faculty mentor. Selection is based on the project's educational and intellectual merit, the potential impact of the project, and the student's previous academic success.

Each fall semester, a call for proposals will be issued. Successful proposals will start on January 1, and primer funds must be spent by August 31.

Call for Proposals: Fall 2024

About the Extension Program

The Extension Research program represents stage II of the PROBe program. Students in their second or third year of biomedical research (primarily sophomores and juniors) are eligible to apply for funding through the PROBe Extension award program. Extension awards are available to students with at least one year of biomedical research experience, regardless of previous PROBe funding.

Each Extension Award will be funded for up to $5000 to fund his or her research project. Competition for this award will be through the submission of a research, scholarship, or creative project proposal developed in collaboration with a USC Aiken faculty mentor. Selection is based on the project's educational and intellectual merit, the potential impact of the project, and the student's previous academic success.

Each fall semester, a call for proposals will be issued. Successful proposals will start on January 1. Extension funds must be spent by August 31. Students who perform their research during the summer can participate in INBRE-organized Summer Enrichment Activities.

Graduating seniors are generally not eligible for Extension funding. Exceptions may be made but require prior approval.

Proposal Guidelines

The following links are provided to aid students and their mentors in developing PROBe proposals:

PROBe Primer

PROBe Extension

PROBe Budget Form

Important Dates

Call for proposals: Monday, October 28, 2024
Primer Proposal due date: 5:00 PM Friday, November 22, 2024
Extension Proposal due date: 5:00 PM Friday, November 22, 2024
Award announcements: Friday, December 13, 2024
Award start date: January 1, 2025

Apply for USCA INBRE Funding

For Reviewers

The Extension Proposal Review Rubric is an interactive PDF form. To complete your review, download, write to, and save the form using the student's name (Lastname_FirstInitial) and our Extension designation: Smith_RExt2021. Please email the completed reviews to [email protected] with the subject line "Extension Review."