A Synthesis of Education and Research (SynER-G) Leading to Graduation at University of New England

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This project is providing scholarship support for a combination of undergraduate and graduate students in the biological sciences who are academically talented and financially needy. A key feature illustrating the intellectual merit of the project is that each masters-level student mentors a pair of the undergraduate students. As a cohort each group benefits from the other in terms of educational input, research training and life experiences, all under the supervision of faculty in the biological sciences. The scholarship program builds on student support structures in an existing Honors program for undergraduates and a recently implemented M.S. program in Biology. In addition to their mentorship responsibilities the masters-level students conduct laboratory research with their younger colleagues, and also lead them in a new class involving discussions and seminars on their research interests and their educational experiences. Such "peer-to-peer" interaction promises to stimulate academic and research interest on the part of the undergraduates. This project's broader impacts are felt through its recruitment efforts which leverage the institution's traditional strengths in attracting women and first-generation students. In addition, the project's explicit development of a "vertically integrated" learning community serves as a model for other institutions.