Promoting Undergraduate Education Now Through Experimental Sciences (PUENTES)

描述（由申请人提供）：德克萨斯A&M国际大学（TAMIU）与拉雷多社区学院（LCC）合作，提议建立一个通往学士学位课程的桥梁，为来自南德克萨斯边境地区的少数民族学生提供服务。该项目的主要目标是增加未被充分代表的少数民族学生的数量，他们成功地从LCC过渡到TAMIU或其他四年制大学，获得生物医学科学学士学位。为了实现这一目标，已经制定了促进生物医学教育和研究的具体目标，包括：1)提高拉雷多社区学院学生对生物医学研究的兴趣和认识；2)提高拉雷多社区学院学生到四年制大学完成科学学位课程的转学率；3)提升拉雷多社区学院学生的学术竞争力；4)增加少数族裔学生在生物医学领域从事研究工作的人数。拟议的目标将通过合作研讨会、夏季研究经验、春季学期课程“科学作为一种认识的方式”、长达一年的指导和培训以及写作讲习班来实现。LCC和TAMIU在转学/衔接协议中共享的现有合作努力将促进学生和教师的互动。通过提高LCC学生成功转入四年制大学的可能性，我们将把这个未被充分代表的少数群体的智力人才带到国家的生物医学研究事业中。德克萨斯-墨西哥边境是联邦指定的卫生专业人员短缺地区和国家指定的医疗服务不足地区，人口约为176,576人，其中94.1%是西班牙裔。培养对该地区的卫生问题有既得利益的新一代生物医学研究人员，将有助于在地方和全国范围内缓解这一问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In partnership with Laredo Community College (LCC), Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) proposes to establish a Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program to serve minority students from the South Texas border region. The project's primary goal is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who successfully transition from LCC to TAMIU or other 4-year universities to obtain a baccalaureate degree in the biomedical sciences. To achieve this goal, specific aims have been developed to foster biomedical education and research to include: 1) Increasing the interest and awareness of Laredo Community College students in Biomedical research; 2) Increasing the transfer rate of Laredo Community College students to a four year institution to complete a degree program in science; 3) Enhancing the academic competitiveness of Laredo Community College students; and 4) Increasing the number of underrepresented minority students who pursue research careers in biomedical fields. The proposed aims will be accomplished through collaborative seminars, summer research experience, a spring semester course "Science as a Way of Knowing", year long mentoring and training, and writing workshops. The existing collaborative efforts shared between LCC and TAMIU in the transfer/articulation agreement will facilitate the interaction of students and faculty. By enhancing the likelihood of LCC students successfully transferring to a four year institution, we will be bringing the intellectual talents of this underrepresented minority group to the biomedical research enterprise of the nation. The Texas-Mexico border is a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area and a state designated Medically Underserved Area with a population of approximately 176,576 inhabitants, of which 94.1% are Hispanic. Preparing a new generation of biomedical researchers who have a vested interest in this region's health issues, will contribute to the alleviation of this problem locally and nationwide.