: The BRIDGES to the BACCALAUREATE program at Francis Marion University is part of a larger initiative by the National Institutes of Health to increase the number of underrepresented minorities active in the field of biomedical research. The Francis Marion program aims to increase this number by substantively improving the likelihood that students completing an Associate of Science degree program at Florence-Darlington Technical College, Northeastern Technical College, or Williamsburg Technical College will transfer to Francis Marion University and successfully complete a baccalaureate degree program in a field clearly related to biomedical research. The BRIDGES program will improve the preparation of students for the rigors of scientific inquiry by aggressively promoting the collaboration of science faculty within the BRIDGES consortium and providing ample opportunity for students to experience biomedically related research first hand. One component of the program will provide equipment and technical assistance to the professors at the technical colleges resulting in improved laboratory experiences and learning for the program's students. A second component ensures that students attending the technical colleges will experience additional modeling opportunities through increased contact with their professors and with faculty from Francis Marion University through special seminars and mentoring sessions. In a third and very important component, the program will provide summer institutes for the BRIDGES students during which they will have enriched coursework in science and math and will participate directly in scientific research at Francis Marion University and/or in local research companies. Finally, BRIDGES students will be further exposed to the biomedical research community by attending regional and national scientific meetings with their faculty mentors to hear research presentations in biomedicine.
