The Bioscience Scholars Program: Bringing the Master's Degree Within Reach

这个名为佛罗里达大学生物科学学者(Bios)项目的学术价值源于其目标，即使低收入学生能够接触到以论文为基础的BS/MS项目，使他们能够接触到科学职业及其社区，并使他们能够发挥最大潜力。该项目面向的是全州高中生物技术项目的学生，这些学生已经表现出对生物技术的兴趣，掌握了大量的技术技能，但缺乏完成研究生学位的财力。向学者提供侧重于基础知识、批判性思维技能和技术技能的课程和研讨会，并给予他们广泛的、有指导的研究经验的机会。Bios项目利用机构承诺，使学者在五年内获得学士/硕士学位。更广泛的影响包括影响佛罗里达大学所有生物学生的课程改革，而不仅仅是学者。这个项目可以作为创造多样性的全国典范，因为招收学生的目标人群包括许多代表不足的少数族裔学生。最后，该项目的学生将接受培训，以满足佛罗里达州快速增长的生物技术行业就业市场的当地需求。

The intellectual merit of this project, Bioscience Scholars (BioS) at the University of Florida, stems from its goal of bringing a thesis-based BS/MS program within reach of low-income students, making the scientific profession and its community accessible to them and allowing them to achieve their maximum potential. The project targets students in a statewide high school biotechnology program who have already demonstrated an interest in biotechnology and acquired substantial technical skills, but lack the financial resources to complete a graduate degree. Scholars are provided coursework and workshops focused on foundational knowledge, critical thinking skills and technical skills, and are given the opportunity for extensive, mentored research experience. The BioS program leverages an institutional commitment so that scholars graduate with a combined BS/MS degree within five years. Broader impacts include curricular reforms that affect all biology students at the University of Florida, not just the scholars. This program could serve as a national model of creating diversity because the targeted population from which students are recruited includes many underrepresented minority students. Finally, students in this program are trained to fill local needs in the job market in Florida's rapidly growing biotechnology sector.