RaMP: Oklahoma Network addressing human impacts across biological processes (ON-RaMP)

Building a stronger and more diverse scientific workforce is very important to address major societal needs. One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is to understand and mitigate the extensive and dramatic effects of human activities on the natural world. To increase participation in these efforts, this project will build a network at Oklahoma State University to mentor a diverse group of post-baccalaureate participants, who will work on research projects to study human effects on biological processes.

The network will connect mentees with mentors representing a broad scope of areas and research questions in biology. It will provide a structured program to develop a scientific community focused on professional development and fostering an increased sense of belonging in science. The program’s focus on post-baccalaureate trainees will address a major gap in current efforts to build an inclusive STEM workforce.

In addition to the direct impacts on mentees and their future careers, this program will provide training on mentorship for a large group of researchers and opportunities for collaboration among researchers working across different fields to address the common goal of understanding anthropogenic effects in biology. The project will also provide important data on the effectiveness of methods to increase participation in science and the pursuit of scientific careers.

Anthropogenic effects are having severe impacts on major biological processes, including disease transmission, species extinction, ecosystem function, and biogeochemical cycles. These impacts pose serious threats to the welfare and well-being of humans and the environment. Because these effects are so complex and widespread, addressing their consequences requires recruitment of large and diverse groups into scientific careers.

The objective of this project is to build a diverse network of biologists to provide mentorship and training for post-baccalaureate students to study anthropogenic effects on biological processes in natural systems. The program will take place at Oklahoma State University, which has a strong group of researchers addressing anthropogenic effects on biology and is located in a region with high biodiversity and significant anthropogenic impacts.

Individuals who are post-baccalaureate and had limited previous opportunities for research training will be chosen to participate in a program involving a year-long research experience, professional development, and networking activities. The selected network of research mentors works across multiple biological disciplines and will specifically focus on anthropogenic effects on disease spread, effects of toxins on physiology and ecology, behavioral and physiological consequences of anthropogenic disturbance, and climate change effects on biological processes.

The success of the program will be evaluated in terms of its effects on participants’ scientific knowledge, sense of belonging in science, and career choices.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.