In this continuation application, we modify and enhance our bridge program over the next three years. Our six goals are to: 1) increase the pool of qualified student applicants; 2) improve the academic competitiveness of bridge students; 3) stimulate student interest in research; 4) stimulate Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) faculty interest in research; 5) promote innovative teaching by MDCC faculty; and 6) facilitate the development of new science courses at MDCC. We have a set of measurable objectives for each of these goals that we will use to evaluate our progress. We propose the following activities to accomplish the program goals: (1) initiate a more aggressive student recruiting program where we reach out to younger students and their parents; (2) continue to offer special courses and workshops to increase the academic competitiveness of bridge students; (3) continue to provide hourly wages for MDCC students dong research with faculty mentors in labs at University of Miami (UM) at a higher hourly rate; (4) increase the number of first- year students we send to national scientific meetings; (5) acculturate students to research through special courses/seminars and also include their parents in the process; (6) continue to rejuvenate community college science teachers with a fellowship program, mini-research grants, funds for travel to national scientific meetings, special workshops in information technology, and seminars and short courses on innovative teaching; (7) preserve teaching grants as an incentive for MDCC and UM faculty to work cooperatively to develop new approaches in undergraduate science instruction; and (8) institutionalize new courses at MDCC.
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