Duke Impact Neuroscience Program

PROJECT SUMMARY The purpose of the Impact Neuroscience Program is to enhance rigorous scientific training in neuroscience at Duke University and change the culture of science. The program will embrace and engage students from backgrounds under-represented in science together with their peer colleagues and mentors, and improve the

academic scientific training environment for all. The Impact Neuroscience Program includes targeted neuroscience training and professional development activities for graduate students from backgrounds under- represented in science, and perhaps even more importantly programs for their peer colleagues and mentors.

The targeted neuroscience training includes specific neuroscience methods and skills training within faculty labs, specialized training in data science and open science, and active trainee and faculty participation in a professional seminar that provides resources for career development. A critical broader focus of the program

includes supporting the scientist through community interventions that evolve the training infrastructure at Duke to facilitate thriving for all. Our goal is not to fix students who are disadvantaged in science, it is rather to change our paradigms and culture in order to enrich our community and catalyze achievement. In

addition to activities with strong extant evidentiary support, we propose several new interventions based on the neuroscience of motivated learning, to be tested and evaluated in the program. We predict improved retention, training, and long-term performance for the primary graduate student fellows. We also predict broad benefits

for the community including enhanced overall performance of host labs.