Minority Institution Research Collaborative (MIRC)

Empowering Individuals from Historically Underrepresented Groups in STEM (IHUGS) since 2008

The Minority Institution Research Collaborative (MIRC) is a virtual collaboration of more than 20 minority-serving institutions (MSIs), non-MSIs, and companies dedicated to significantly increasing the representation and participation of Individuals from Historically Underrepresented Groups in STEM (IHUGS) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics within academia institutions, government agencies, and private corporations.

 

MIRC is primarily focused on providing research opportunities for IHUGS, including: faculty exchanges (e.g., from teaching-oriented MSIs to “Research 1” institutions); student exchanges between MIRC-affiliated universities; faculty-student team exchanges; and, international research opportunities for students.  Mechanisms such as the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs, NSF Research Coordination Network (RCN) grants, NSF International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) projects; NSF Research Opportunity Awards (ROA); and other core NSF, NIH, NASA funding mechanisms are used to support research exchange.

MIRC Directorship and Steering Committee

Dr. Ruben Michael Ceballos
University of Arkansas
MIRC Co-Director
(Grants and Network Funding)
Dr. Benita Bell
Morgan State University
MIRC Co-Director
(HBCU  Engagement)
Dr. Meredith Hecker
University of Providence
MIRC Co-Director
(TCU/NASNTI  Engagement)
Dr. Elizabeth Padilla Crespo
Univ Interamericana Puerto Rico
MIRC Co-Director
(HSI  Engagement)

Dr. Harold Kihega
Mid-America Christian University
MIRC Co-Director
(PUI  Engagement)
Dr. Tameka Bailey
University of Arkansas
MIRC Co-Director
(Non-Tenure/Postdoc Engagement)

MIRC Membership (Liaisons and Institutions)

News

Congratulations to Dr. Sobroney Heng..!

Jan 24, 2023

Congratulations to Dr. Sobroney Heng who recently defended her dissertation at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (Thailand) under a partnership between the University of Arkansas (Ceballos Lab) and KMUTT.  You can download her recent first-author...

Congratulations to Dr. Elham Bahramian..!

Jan 24, 2023

Congratulations to newly minted Dr. Elham Bahramian who completed her PhD in our lab.  Please see her recent first-author publication in Frontiers in Immunology (Impact Factor: 8.786) entitled, "Differential Impacts of HHV-6A versus HHV-6B Infection in Differentiated...