RISE Undergraduate Program
Thank you for your interest in the UTSA RISE Undergraduate program. After 45 years, and hundreds of undergraduates trained and launched into amazing scientific careers as doctoral level scientists, the UTSA RISE program has ended. We celebrate our students and their accomplishments and will continue to seek out ways to support the highly talented and dedicated future scientists at UTSA.
The NIH/NIGMS-funded RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) program is designed to assist underrepresented students to attain their doctoral degrees in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.
The UTSA RISE Undergraduate program supported research training for students who are interested in developing professional careers as research scientists. This federally funded training program is designed to ensure that talented and motivated minority or disadvantaged students are able to obtain the background and skills that they need to enter and succeed in doctoral education.
All RISE participants performed original scientific research and presented their findings at scientific meetings. They took courses and participated in activities to enhance their professional and leadership development. They were introduced to a broad range of scientific disciplines and were provided with networking opportunities with representatives of some of the nation's top research universities. It was the goal of our program that all of our students continue their education to higher levels, obtain their doctoral degree, and pursue satisfying research careers.
The RISE program has been active at UTSA since 2000, but 2023 was its last year of funding. To expend residual funds, we recruited a cohort of final-year undergraduates on track to earn their bachelor’s degrees in Spring 2024, who desired a PhD but needed additional preparation. We expected that most of these students would have minimal training in research. We provided intensive research and professional training between Summer 2023 (full time participation required) and Spring 2024. Our goal was to help these students to develop at least into excellent candidates for postbaccalaureate and funded master’s program by the time they graduated and soon after gain admission to top doctoral programs. Funding lasted through March 2024.
The RISE Undergraduate program was one of the training programs in the UTSA RISE Office. See UTSA RISE Office for details about the programs.
