SCHOOL OF MEDICINE RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM

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The stated objective of this application is to create alternate pathways for disadvantaged students to become interested in pursuing careers as biomedical researchers and health professionals. A more immediate goal is to increase the numbers of disadvantaged high school students participating in, and advancing through, high school and college curricula and undertaking advanced science training. Coupled with this are plans to refine and update science teachers' knowledge and skills. Both teachers and students will participate actively in ongoing biomedical and health-related research activities at a major medical institution, thus, stimulating students' interest in health sciences careers and empowering teachers to be more effective science learning facilitators. The proposed goals will be achieved through meaningful laboratory and classroom work experiences, structured research mentorships, and relevant educational enrichment exercises. Specifically, the proposed program will assign disadvantaged high school students to research mentors from the School of Medicine for eight weeks in the summer to obtain "hands-on" training in a biomedical laboratory setting. Students will be provided didactic instruction on the rudiments of the scientific investigation model. In addition, students will be provided with an additional four-to-five hours per week of paid laboratory-based work experiences during the regular school year. Students will be paired with freshman and sophomore medical students who will serve as "big-sib" resources over their high school and college academic careers. Teachers will be assigned to research mentors for four weeks over the summer. They will be placed in laboratories engaged in the medical science research area of their choice, and made an integral member of a research team in their chosen research area. In addition, teachers will concurrently receive training in new and effective approaches to science instruction. As a follow-up to their summer experience, teachers will be provided intensive weekend in-service training on a quarterly basis for the purposes of continuing their curriculum revision instruction and developing on-going science teaching materials.