Preparing Economically Challenged Students for Careers in Biotechnology

为期四年的奖学金将颁发给一群学术上有天赋、经济上有困难的生物学或生物信息学专业的大一新生。从贫困率超过20%的弗吉尼亚州地区招收学生。这些地区包括弗吉尼亚州西南部的阿巴拉契亚农村县和里士满市区。种族人口结构不同；里士满超过60%的人是少数民族，主要是非裔美国人，而农村县超过97%的人是高加索人。每年大约颁发15个奖学金，金额从5,000美元到10,000美元不等，平均奖学金金额为7,100美元。奖学金的数额取决于入学费用和预期的家庭贡献。学者们参加共同的课程，并参加每周一次的研讨会，专门讨论学术和职业准备、研究技能、道德和多样性。这些努力不仅使学者们成为生物技术领域的科学领袖，而且还增加了该学科内部的多样性和合作。

Four-year scholarships are being awarded to a cohort of academically talented financially needy freshmen majoring in biology or bioinformatics. Students are being recruited from areas of Virginia where the poverty rate is above twenty percent. These areas include the rural Appalachian counties of southwestern Virginia and urban Richmond City. The racial demographics differ; Richmond is more than sixty percent minority, predominantly African American, whereas the rural counties are over 97 % Caucasian. Approximately fifteen scholarships are being awarded ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 annually with an average scholarship amount of $7100. Scholarship amounts are determined by the Cost of Attendance and the Expected Family Contribution.The scholars take common classes and participate in a weekly seminar dedicated to the academic and career preparation, research skills, ethics and diversity. These efforts are preparing the scholars not only to be scientific leaders in biotechnology, but also to increase diversity and collaboration within the discipline.