The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) requests $24,800 in 2003, $23,700 in 2004, and 27,800 in 2005 for three Summer Institutes in Preparation for Careers in Microbiology (SI), a five-day program for 24 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the microbiological sciences. The overall objective of the five-day Institute is to provide participants with intensive training in five major areas: career development; grant preparation, communications, teaching, and ethics. At the conclusion of the Institute, participants will be able to: 1. Prepare a well-organized research proposal that clearly articulates the specific aims of the project and the plan to address the problem, 2. Deliver a clear and concise oral presentation of their research project to the scientific community, 3. Examine a number of career opportunities and pathways available to microbiologists-in-training, 4. Recognize and effectively meet the educational needs of undergraduate microbiology students in a variety of different settings, and 5. Describe the ethical implications regarding scientific research as encountered by the scientific community. The ASM Education Board's Committee on Graduate Education sponsors the Institute. In August 2001 and 2002, the ASM offered two Institutes at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The Institute is the first and only program of its kind providing students with hands-on, practical training in grant preparation and review, scientific communications and teaching, career development, and ethics. The dates of the Institutes are: August 2-6, 2003, August 7-11, 2004, August 6-10, 2005.