Evaluation of an introductory research program for minority students in an interdisciplinary tissue engineering lab

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) has become a priority in the United States, both in educating the populace and producing a national workforce in this area. Our National Science Foundation: Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation - Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program focused on introducing minority students in the early years of their science or engineering undergraduate degrees to STEM research in biomaterials and tissue engineering. A pre- and post-survey helped discern how the REM program influenced students´ feelings of preparedness for future research programs and assessed skills gained through the program. A significant (p = 0.0172) increase was seen in students´ reports of feeling prepared for future research experiences after completing this introductory program. Overall, students´ reported an improvement in research preparedness and research skills assessment after participating in the REM program.