Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) at SDSU
Hear from some of our talented MARC Scholar (now alumni!)
The mission of the San Diego State University (SDSU) Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program is to increase the number of minoritized students who successfully complete BS and PhD STEM degrees and become scientific leaders. The MARC Program identifies and develops the academic talent of promising undergraduate students from underserved communities providing impactful research experiences and research-validated programming to support their professional and personal development.
In SDSU MARC, we seek to actively combat the exclusion of under-tapped talent pools by ensuring the program elements celebrate and mandate diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA). We prioritize providing authentic research experiences, critical and quantitative skills, rigorous academic programming, cultural congruity, and culturally aware mentorship, and we emphasize mental health and wellness and scholars’ sense of belonging. Through our MARC program, we build a supportive, rigorous, safe, and stimulating environment that gives our scholars a “home” for their personal and professional identities as they prepare for leadership roles in the biomedical research workforce.
Dr. Sohl has served as the Director of SDSU MARC since 2023.
Funded by NIH T34 GM149430
Check out details here: https://marc.sdsu.edu
While the goal of a diverse student community and STEM workforce has its roots in social justice, there are also enormous benefits to human health, economy, public trust, educational systems, and society. A biomedical workforce that does not reflect the demographics of its surroundings can be appropriately described as a crisis. According to the Census Bureau, historically excluded STEM students such as underrepresented minorities (URMs), those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and/or those with disabilities, represent a growing population in the US and encompass the populations that MARC programs seek to reach. Thus, these UR communities represent a critical under-tapped talent pool needed to address the goal of growing the biomedical workforce.
SDSU is committed to providing quality academic and research experiences for students, and the MARC Program plays a vital role in supplementing our university’s strengths and bridging its gaps. MARC is part of an umbrella organization known as the Center for the Advancement of Students in Academia (CASA), which was launched in 1992 to promote the academic development of the next generation of UR research scientists and health professionals. CASA, housed in the CoS, prevents “siloing” and promotes resource synergy by providing developmental activities and infrastructure.