The Pathways Undergraduate Researchers Program: Fostering Career Interests, Sense of Belonging, and Student Confidence in Pursuing Science.

Abstract

The Pathways Undergraduate Researchers Program is a paid, nine-week summer internship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. It targets rising first-, second-, and third-year college students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research. This paper describes how the internship impacted students' awareness of biomedical careers, scientific identification, and sense of belonging in research. Interns reported an increased awareness of biomedical careers and how to attain them. The experience also challenged interns' career ideas. Interns described a mix of feelings on sense of belonging. All felt welcomed and confident in their abilities. Nonetheless, some noted they were different from the other researchers. A number were motivated by being in the minority and ready to become leaders in diversifying the workforce. Data gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic shed a different light on the internship's impact. The interns reported becoming 'credible resources' on public health issues for their families and communities. The program supported this by building their confidence to understand and communicate science. This undergraduate program developed out of a longer running high school internship effort and many of the strategies described herein are used in both. These findings have implications for programs for underrepresented students at the high school and college level.