Duke PREP: Minority Recruitment into Biomedical Sciences

描述(由申请者提供)：杜克大学预科项目旨在通过利用重要的少数群体来增加最终进入博士项目的少数族裔学生的数量，即那些对科学有一些兴趣但不确定研究生院是否适合他们的人，或者那些有一些缺陷会阻碍他们在研究生院取得成功的人。该计划经过精心设计，旨在提高与研究生院成功相关的各种技能，包括技术实验室技能、对科学知识的理解、逻辑和定量技能、口头和书面陈述以及在科学/学术界中的社交。预科学生将花费时间在精心挑选和支持的实验室内从事研究项目，其他时间用于正式和非正式的课程工作以及其他与学术和职业发展有关的活动。在许多方面，Prep计划利用了现有的杜克大学暑期研究机会计划(SROP)的活动和管理机制，该计划将少数族裔本科生带到杜克大学校园进行为期10周的暑期研究体验。这两个项目都有相同的总体目标，即增加生物医学博士项目的少数民族学生数量，并最终进入科学学院。预科奖学金获得者将被鼓励充分利用两年的经验，只要他们的表现达到可以接受的水平，并保持对从事科学事业的兴趣。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed Duke PREP program is designed to increase the number of minority students that eventually enter Ph.D. programs by tapping into an important pool of minorities, namely those that have some interest in science but are not sure graduate school is right for them or that have some deficiency that would hinder their success in graduate school. The program has been carefully designed to improve a variety of skills relevant to succeeding in graduate school, including technical laboratory skills, comprehension of scientific knowledge, logical and quantitative skills, oral and written presentations, and socialization within the scientific/academic community. PREP scholars will spend time engaged in a research project within a carefully selected and supportive laboratory, and the other time in formal and informal coursework and other activities relating to academic and career development. In many ways, the PREP program takes advantage of the activities and administrative mechanisms of the existing Duke Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), which brings minority undergraduates to the Duke campus for a 10-week summer research experience. Both programs have the same general goal of increasing the number of minority students in Ph.D. programs in the biomedical sciences, and eventually in the scientific academy. The PREP scholars will be encouraged to take advantage of the full two-year experience, as long as they perform at an acceptable level and maintain an interest in pursuing a career in science.