M-ASCEND: Advancing Science, Enhancing Diversity Program

Beginning the week of June 10th, the Program in Health Disparities Research (PHDR) and the Masonic Cancer Center (MCC) have welcomed to campus a cohort of 13 undergraduate and 12 high school students for another year of our M-ASCEND summer internship program. 

Our undergrads meet multiple times per week throughout the 9 week program for seminars and workshops on health equity and cancer disparities-related topics, as well as to conduct work on their own projects. The program culminates in a group poster session where the students present their work to UMN faculty and staff researchers, providing an important early experience with doing the work of health research. We're excited to see what this year's cohort presents!

The high schoolers are on campus throughout the week as well to attend sessions aimed at fostering scientific interest and providing a foundation for students to pursue careers and study in the health sciences.

The two groups meet frequently throughout the summer for "Research Pals" events, where the groups network and share their experiences and projects with one another. See the photos below for a recent example, as well as some scenes from other 2024 M-ASCEND summer events thus far! 

M-ASCEND successfully completed another program year during their final celebratory Science Saturday event on April 27th.  

Science Saturdays engage student participants and their families in the science of cancer research, health equity, and career development and opportunities.  These events are a fun opportunity to provide meaningful learning experiences to program participants.  

Take a look at photos from the event in the gallery below! 

Our 2023 summer internship program ended with a bang on August 11th, with interns presenting posters that they worked on over the 12 week session. Numerous research faculty and staff attended to ask them questions on their projects and to congratulate them on jobs well done! 

Following the poster presentation, the whole group gathered for well-deserved food and fun to close out another successful year! 

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.