ENRICHMENT OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

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The education deficit in biological sciences, especially advances in molecular biology for beginning college students is a critical gap which needs to be addressed. Consequently, the MBRS student pool has only a limited knowledge and appreciation of current areas of research in the biological sciences, including cell structure, gene cloning and mapping, DNA repair, and studies on the human genome. Based on this rationale, the investigators propose to establish an ongoing 2-phase enrichment program for a group of 10 first and second-year minority college students in each of three years in research methodologies in cell structure, psychology, and molecular biology. This enrichment component will also expose this pool of students to minority role model scientists and science seminars during the academic session and exiting laboratory research environments at CSUH and UC campuses during the summer session. A pool of African-American, Hispanic, American Indian and Pacific Islander student will be selected from the CSUH Summer Bridge class of entering first-year students and from second-year minority students who completed the Summer Bridge the previous year. They will be enriched in laboratory experiences in electron microscopy and molecular biology. They will join the regular CSUH MBRS Program in their third year and fourth years. Student performance will be evaluated at the end of each year; they will be tracked through college and assisted with their entry into doctoral programs by establishing a mentorship relationship between CSUH mentors and future advisors at UC or other doctoral degree-granting campuses.