APPRENTICESHIPS IN TOXICOLOGY AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE

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DESCRIPTION: This application proposes a research apprenticeship program for high school students and teachers to be conducted in the Institute of Chemical Toxicology (ICT) and the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics (CMMG) of Wayne State University (WSU). The proposed program is a component of the Community Outreach and Education Program (COEP) of the NIEHS Center for Molecular and Cellular Toxicology, with Human Applications administered by the ICT. This program will take advantage of the characteristics and geographical location of the Metropolitan Center for High Technology (MCHT) in Detroit. The MCHT building houses the ICT, some of the CMMG, and the WSU Middle School. The MCHT is also an incubator for technology start-up companies, and is located two blocks from Cass Technical High School (CTHS). CTHS is a high school within the Detroit Public School system. The best and brightest of Detroit college-bound public school students attend CTHS. Although CTHS is a premier high school, the completeness of science education is severely compromised by a paucity of laboratory experiences. The proposed program is a continuation of a research apprenticeship program that has focused on CTHS students for the past eight years and has provided much needed laboratory experience for the students. The program brings qualified students into the laboratories on a part-time basis during the school year to train the students in general laboratory practices and skills. After gaining a level of competence, a student is capable of completing a small project that is a part of the independently- funded active research program of the mentor, while working full-time in the summer. The proposed program will use the model developed over the past eight years to recruit and train CTHS students. Teachers will be recruited for summer research apprenticeships to provide the teachers with a greater understanding of the skills and knowledge base required for modern biomedical research which they then can take back to their classrooms and students.