The University of New Mexico Department of Biology is continuing its Post-baccalaureate Research and Education Program (PREP), thanks to a five-year, $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

PREP helps support traditionally under-represented students gain valuable research experience after completion of their Bachelor’s degrees, in order to prepare them for successful entry into a graduate program. The initiative is particularly focused on those students that did not gain much research experience as undergraduates, and provides full-time experience in research laboratories in order to enhance research credentials.

“The PREP program was critical to help me develop the skills I needed before entering a Ph.D. graduate program." – Damian Trujillo, PREP participant, 2005

Richard Cripps, a professor in Biology and director of PREP for the last seven years, says the successful program is critical for many trainees.

“Our program focuses upon individuals who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D., but who, for a variety of reasons, did not receive extensive research training as an undergraduate,” said Cripps. “Many talented students fall out of the system at this point, and PREP is intended to address this training gap. We provide the scholars with a parent mentor and research laboratory, and we work with them to enhance their potential to succeed in Ph.D. programs.”

Damian Trujillo, who graduated from UNM in 2005 with degrees in Biology and Philosophy, participated in PREP before entering a graduate program and says the experience has greatly benefited him.

“The PREP program was critical to help me develop the skills I needed before entering a Ph.D. graduate program,” said Trujillo. “Within the PREP program, I got experience performing, presenting and developing a research project. These skills were absolutely necessary for acquiring my Ph.D.”

Trujillo recently finished a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is now working in the biotech field. He says the program not only offered him valuable research experience but also connected him with a UNM faculty mentor – a relationship that continues to positively impact his career.

The goals for the PREP program include identifying a cadre of qualified post-baccalaureate scholars, specifically under-represented BS/BA graduates who chose to postpone graduate studies, and to recruit them into the PREP program before they give up the idea of pursuing a graduate level career; providing these scholars with research and training opportunities that will give them the skills to carry out research in their chosen area; generating the confidence and time needed to prepare for graduate studies; and facilitating application and acceptance into a biomedical related graduate program.

To learn more about the PREP program and how to apply, click here.