RISE PROGRAM AT HUNTER COLLEGE

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DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Application): Hunter College proposes to continue the traditions and expand the objectives of its 17-year-old MBRS program which has produced approximately 30 Ph.D.s from its undergraduate and graduate ranks (15 are in progress). Three developmental activities are proposed: (1) The existing undergraduate and graduate student research training program will be continued, expanded, and improved. At both the undergraduate and graduate student level it provides an intensive research experience in a lab engaged in nationally funded, competitive, state-of-the-art biomedical science research. At the undergraduate level it also involves intensive mentoring by a faculty member and other enrichment activities intended to enhance scientific performance and to inspire and motive students to seek advanced degrees in science and research careers. This activity also includes establishment of a centralized Office for Minority Programs in science at Hunter College and support for construction of a new undergraduate physics laboratory. 2) A program for development of new courses in the sciences and for instructional technology development will be implemented. This will include establishment of new courses, adoption of computer technologies in classroom lectures, distance learning, and incorporation of the World Wide Web into curricula. 3) The Hunter College Undergraduate Student Summer Research Training Program, which provides a summer research experience for non-Hunter minority students, will be supported and expanded. The MBRS RISE goals of these developmental activities are to increase the number of underrepresented minorities entering biomedical research careers (1 and 3) and to enhance science learning and the number of science majors (both minority and majority students) at Hunter College. A number of specific objectives of this program are detailed in the evaluation plan. The most important include increasing entrance into Ph.D. programs of undergraduates who are underrepresented in science from 31 percent to 50 percent (from 1.7 to 2.7 students per year) and increasing the number of Ph.D.s awarded to students underrepresented in science in Hunter graduate programs by 25 percent (from 0.82 to 1.0 students per year) (activity 1). The number of science majors at Hunter College will be increased by 20 percent in four years, from 1,192 to 1,430 students (activity 2).