Channelling Bio-Majors into Research Careers in Cellular-Molecular Biology

这个项目来自波多黎各大学皮奥皮德拉斯校区，旨在激励有才华的西班牙裔本科生，并为他们在生物细胞分子生物学领域的职业生涯做好准备。长期目标是增加来自少数族裔的本科生数量，他们继续以研究为导向的职业生涯。来自没有或很少有机会进行细胞和分子领域研究的10名小型学院和大学的学生将根据GPA、研究兴趣以及他们的研究生学习动机和潜力进行挑选。在实习期间，学生被安置在大学住宿设施或附近的大学校舍。这个为期十周的暑期计划的中心目标是在生物系参与教员正在进行的项目之一中为学生提供密集的动手研究体验。学生将接触到以“使用细胞和分子技术解决生物学问题”为中心的一系列主题。每个学生都被分配了一个特定的研究项目，在导师的监督下进行开发。项目包括：“发育的细胞和分子分析”、“基因克隆和基因表达”、“分子神经生物学和神经内分泌学”、“激素和神经递质的作用”、“细胞相互作用”。发展与研究有关的技能的一系列补充活动包括关于文献搜索和计算机素养的讲习班和座谈会、关于科学和生物伦理问题和做法的写作和交流。为了将学生放在研究生院的轨道上，还提供了一系列与入学和要求有关的主题的讲习班。此外，计划中还包括生态旅行和社会活动等活动，让学生充分接触和融入科学社区。这个研究网站提供了一个文化多元化和双语的环境。预计通过整合研究实验室的日常活动，学生将学习现代概念和技术，最重要的是将理解现代研究在所有生物学领域的意义，从而提供一个促进他们作为研究人员发展的培养环境。

This project from the University of Puerto Rico,Pio Piedras Campus aims to motivate and prepare talented Hispanic undergraduate students for careers in the Cellular Molecular Biology fields of biology. The long-term goal is to increase the number of undergraduate students from underrepresented minorities that continue research oriented careers. Ten students from small colleges and universities with no or little access to research in the cellular and molecular areas will be selected based on GPA, research interest as well as on their motivation and potential for Graduate Studies. Students are housed at the University Residential facilities or nearby the University premises during their internship. The central objective of this ten week summer program is to provide the students an intensive hand-on research experience in one of the on-going projects of the participating faculty from the Department of Biology. Students are exposed to a wide range of topics that have as a central theme " the use of cellular and molecular techniques to address a biological problem". Each student is assigned a specific research project to be developed under the supervision of a mentor. Projects include topics such as: "cellular and molecular analysis of development", "gene cloning and gene expression", "molecular neurobiology and neuroendocrinology", "hormones and neurotransmitters action", "cellular interactions". A series of complementary activities to develop research related skills include workshops and colloquia on literature searches and computing literacy, writing and communication in science and bio-ethical issues and practices. To place the students in the Graduate School's track a series of workshops on topics related to admission and requirements are also offered. In addition, activities such as eco-trips and social activities are included in the program to fully expose and integrate the students into the scientific community. This research site provides for a cultural diversified and bilingual environment. It is expected that by integration on the every day activities of research laboratories students will learn modern concepts and techniques and most important will understand the significance of modern research in all biological areas, thus providing a nurturing environment that triggers their development as researchers.