CHATHAM — The Minority Biomedical Research Support-Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement at Chicago State University recently had a $1.3 million grant renewed for the next four years.
Devi Potluri, director of the initiative and chairman of the Biology Department, said the National Institutes of Health recently renewed the grant for the program, which started 13 years ago.
"The funding allows us to continue operations for the program, including our paid summer internships for students," Potluri said.
Officials with the National Institutes of Health were unavailable for comment due to the government shutdown.
Potluri said there are 20 students enrolled in the program, which aims to encourage and prepare students for admission into academic doctoral degree programs in the life and physical sciences.
The majority of students enrolled are black and Hispanic, said Potluri, who added summer interns are paid "a stipend of $10 per hour for a 40-hour work week for 10 weeks."
"All students enrolled are biology, chemistry or physics majors and must maintain a 3.0 GPA," Potluri said.
Since 2011, eight program graduates have earned a Ph.D, he said.
They are Alfred Diggs, Ph.D. in biological engineering, Purdue University;
Valerie Goss, Ph.D. in chemistry & nanomaterials, University of Notre Dame; Pablo Guzman, Ph.D. in organic chemistry, Emory University; Tyvette Hilliard, Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago; Nicole Jones, Ph.D. in biological sciences, University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign; George Pates, Ph.D. in analytical chemistry, Purdue; Juan Reyes, Ph.D. in biological sciences, Northwestern University; and Stephen Smith, Ph.D. in chemistry, Northwestern.
