The College of Staten Island (CSI) City University of New York (CUNY) and the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities (IBRDD) are requesting funding to implement a program that will foster the participation of disadvantaged groups in the biomedical/behavioral sciences and will enhance high school science education. A primary objective of the program will be to support and encourage disadvantaged students who enter CSI's Honors Research Internships, an existing program for talented and high-achieving high school students in science at the CSI. These students will be chosen from a group of interns who have participated in the Research Internship Program for two summers. During their first two summers the research interns, with their teachers and pre-service teachers, learn and practice basic techniques, develop analytical lab skills and procedures, attend seminars, perform computer data analysis, and complete a number of substantial written research projects. The students will engage in a research project and produce a research report. The pre-service and in-service teachers will work with Discovery Center faculty to develop and test teaching materials for use in the high school. The program includes enrichment activities and an evaluation plan that will measure changes in attitudes and performance for all participants.
