. Science of Life: A summer program for High School Women will be developed and conducted by the University of Michigan, Women in Science Program, in co-operation with the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; the University of Michigan Medical School; and Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis, a major American pharmaceutical company with divisional headquarters in the area. The goal of Science for Life is to demonstrate to young women, between 11th and 12th grades, with outreach to younger girls, their parents and teachers, as well as other institutions of higher education, that science and science careers in the biomedical area are both exciting and fun, as well as being challenging and rewarding. Participants will be encouraged to continue pursuing science and mathematics in their remaining year of high school and to consider college majors with subsequent careers in biomedical sciences. A special effort will be made to recruit minority females into the program. Science for Life will provide participants with scientific research experiences in the biomedical fields in a variety of scientific workplaces. Conducting scientific research, will enable students to build their confidence, while also assessing their talents and skills. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of careers available within the biomedical research sciences, as well as learning the academic preparation necessary for them. Students will be introduced to women and minority role models, and will meet and interact with other young women who share a common interest and ability in science. To provide outreach to young women in the middle school years, a videotape of the intern experience will be produced. To assist teachers in supporting and encouraging their female students in science, an annual teacher workshop will be conducted. The multi-faceted program will have four major components: (1) A summer research internship program in the biomedical sciences for high school girls, enriched with a career information component and with confidence building aspects. Twenty students will be participating for each of three summers. One half will come from the immediate area and one half will be recruited state-wide. Some will conduct their research at the University; others at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis. Half will commute; half will be housed at the university. (2) The production of a videotape for national dissemination by Women in Science as well as for dissemination by the interns themselves to the middle schools. The tape will demonstrate to girls and their parents that young women, with the proper science/math high school background can successfully pursue science education and related careers. (3) Teacher workshops are to be held at the University in order to discuss the latest biomedical research, issues of gender in teaching and pedagogy, and for introducing the wide variety of science careers available to the students. (4) Consultation with other research universities, colleges and professional organizations on methods of developing and conducting similar Science for Life programs, as well as other intervention programs concerning women in science issues. A formative and summarive evaluation and monitoring of the internship experience will be performed, with supplemental parental information and control groups of non-selected applicants.
