This year we recruited our first cohort of trainees. Recruitment activities included working with The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), the Disabled Students Program (DSP), the Opening New Doors to Accelerating Success (ONDAS) group, the Promise Scholars group, the Women, Gender & Sexual Equity Department, as well as UCSB communities such as UCSB Undocumented Student Services, UCSB Veteran’s Services, and BioNews – interdepartmental announcement system, to get out the word regarding the COMPASS program beginning at UCSB. These recruitment efforts were pivotal to reach students in our community that might not otherwise hear about opportunities available to them in the sciences here at UCSB.
Recruitment activities took up much of the reporting year and they proved fruitful with 5 total recruits for our first cohort starting in September. All 5 students have begun rigorous training with their individual mentors to grow their skills and knowledge to set them up for success in their different research projects.In addition, our diverse cohort of trainees are actively engaged in mentoring activities, led by Mentorship and Recruitment lead, Dr. Britney Pennington. The trainees are planning outreach a patient engagement activities for the coming Spring quarter, including interactions with local K-12 teachers, community groups, and patient advocacy chapters.
Reporting Period:
Year 2
The CIRM COMPASS Program at UCSB aims to transform undergraduate students into professional scientists. To accomplish this, our COMPASS interns participate in hands-on, cutting-edge research in regenerative medicine, take rigorous academic coursework, hone their science communication skills in professional development workshops, and conduct community outreach to populations underrepresented in STEM. In this past reporting period, the CIRM COMPASS trainees at UCSB have:
- Made substantial progress in their research projects focusing on cell and gene therapies and other aspects of regenerative medicine
- Presented their novel research by oral talks and poster presentations at multiple conferences across the country
- Received awards for their presentation skills
- Toured a Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility and an Alpha Stem Cell Clinic to understand the steps needed to bring a cell or gene therapy from bench to bedside
- Participated in community outreach at multiple local elementary, middle, and high schools with low-income, diverse student populations
Specifically, the CIRM COMPASS trainees at UCSB conduct research to advance the application of regenerative medicine to human longevity, bone fractures, breast cancer, and Alzheimer's Disease.
Reporting Period:
Year 3
The CIRM COMPASS Program at UC Santa Barbara aims to train the next leaders in regenerative medicine. During this reporting period, our students made progress towards this goal by conducting award-winning research and engaging with patients and the community. Our COMPASS trainees gain hands-on experience in the lab to conduct R&D research to contribute to the development of cell and gene therapies, and their discoveries have resulted in published scientific literature and multiple presentations at conferences across the nation. Our COMPASS students also participate in professional development workshops to enhance their science communication skills, and they have earned several awards at conferences and competitions for their science presentations. Our students also understand their responsibility as scientists to engage with the public. In the past year, our students have volunteered at multiple schools across California to inspire the next generation of scientists. Our COMPASS trainees especially focus their outreach efforts on communities who are rare in STEM in order to inspire these children for new career opportunities and to help introduce new voices into the regenerative medicine pipeline. Also, our COMPASS trainees aim to give hope to patients and their families. To this end, our COMPASS students visit retirement homes and present to patient advocacy groups in order to describe the cell and gene therapies currently in the pipeline for diseases such as diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's. For this reporting period, the CIRM COMPASS trainees at UC Santa Barbara have gained experience in research, outreach, and patient engagement, and they have taken significant steps towards becoming the next leaders in regenerative medicine.
Grant Application Details
Application Title:
Training and mentorship program in stem cell biology and engineering: A COMPASS for the future
Public Abstract:
We propose a robust, integrated program for training and mentorship of undergraduate scholars engaged in stem cell biology and engineering, with the goal of recruiting, mentoring and preparing the next generation of diverse leaders in regenerative medicine. UC Santa Barbara has a distinguished track record in engaging undergraduates in meaningful research activities, and this program will build on these strengths, with a dedicated focus on recruitment and retention of a diverse cohort of undergraduate scholars. Our program will support 25 trainees in two-year appointments (two academic years and two summers) during their junior and senior years.
Statement of Benefit to California:
The program will train tomorrow's leaders in the fields of stem cell biology, gene therapy and regenerative medicine. COMPASS scholars recruited from diverse backgrounds will receive state of the art training in these exciting disciplines, which have the potential to address unmet medical needs in the state of California. Current efforts are underway to used stem cells to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa, and Age-related Macular Degeneration.
