M-ASCEND: Advancing Science, Enhancing Diversity Program

Our summer undergraduate and high school interns gathered at McNamara Alumni Center on Thursday August 11th, 2022 to present their research. We took the opportunity to hear from our students about their experiences with the program.

University of Minnesota M-ASCEND: Advancing Science, Enhancing Diversity is a theoretically guided, evidence-driven program designed to support the academic persistence of high school and undergraduate students underrepresented in science, and promote their developmental progress towards future careers in cancer research. M-ASCEND combines best practices with innovative approaches from education, mentorship, service learning, and parent education within an equity-oriented frame to engage, educate, and support students to achieve the knowledge, skills, science identity, and self-efficacy required to support academic persistence and long-term success within the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Diversifying the cancer research workforce is critical to addressing the pressing needs of increasingly diverse patient populations in Minnesota and across the United States.