Eight undergraduate and graduate students are the first to complete the two-year Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program at California State University, Fresno to further their education or career in biomedical/behavioral sciences and research.

The eight RISE scholars exemplify the goal of the program:

• Andrea Salazar from Fresno has accepted a job offer at University of California, San Francisco’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, which is where she completed her 2006 summer internship through RISE

• David Sisco of Oakhurst has been accepted into the Ph.D. program at the University of Hawai’i, where he completed his 2006 summer internship

• Sean Thompson of Lemoore plans to attend Fresno State for his master’s degree

• Gerson Uc-Basulto of Salinas has been accepted into the Ph.D, program at the University of California, Los Angeles

• Natalie Powers of Lancaster will continue her studies through Yale University’s Ph.D. program

• Paula Wright of Haslett, Mich., has been accepted into the doctoral program at the University of California, Davis

• Nicholas Blanchard of Clovis will attend the University of Oregon

• Carlos Tristan of Oxnard will enter the Ph.D. program at Johns Hopkins University

“Most of Fresno State’s second-year RISE Scholars were accepted into more than one Ph.D. program, they just had to decide where they wanted to attend,” says Tracy Klippert, administrative assistant for the program.

RISE is designed to enhance the research environment at minority-serving institutions to increase the interest, skills and competitiveness of biomedical/behavioral students and faculty.

Fresno State was selected by the National Institutes of Health in 2005 to receive a four-year $1.3-million grant to support RISE, which offers $18,000 annual fellowships to graduate students and $10,000 to undergraduate participants. Each RISE Scholar receives the fellowship for two years.

RISE undergraduates must complete their bachelor’s degree after two years, while graduate students must complete their masters degree after two years. All students must apply to at least one Ph.D. program at the end of their two-year RISE journey.

Fresno State’s RISE program provides paid research experiences and paid off-campus summer internships, plus guidance toward doctoral programs and opportunities to meet nationally recognized scientists.

Continuing RISE Scholars are Marcel Garcia of Fresno, a psychology graduate student, and Jordan Anderson of Madera and Charles Grove off Visalia, both chemistry undergraduates; and Donald Copeland of Morgan Hill, a senior biology major.

Eight participants will be chosen soon for the 2007-09 RISE Scholars program at Fresno State.

For more information on the RISE program, contact Klippert at 559.278.8148.