Preparing Promising Students for the 21st Century Scientific Workforce

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Intellectual Merit. This project provides scholarship support to enable up to 53 academically talented, financially needy students to pursue a Professional Science Master's (PSM) degree in Applied Genomics or Microbial Systems Analysis programs. PSM programs across the nation are attracting the interest of students, educators and employers as a model for best practice in preparing science-trained professionals for diverse positions in industry, government, and non-profit sectors. Students in the programs acquire disciplinary competency, training in the theory and practice of the most current scientific methodologies, interdisciplinary and professional development experiences, and mentoring by peers, program faculty, and industry and government representatives.Broader Impact. This project contributes to national competitiveness by recruiting students to graduate training who might otherwise be lost to the nation's scientific enterprises. Additional emphasis on recruitment of participants from groups that are underrepresented in science not only is enhancing the diversity of the scientific workforce, but is preparing more role models for subsequent generations of students. The PSM degree program requires that students interact on a regular basis with representatives from the industrial and government sectors, which is promoting partnerships between the academic and industrial sectors in both training and collaborative research.