The long-term objectives of this program are to increase the pool of disadvantaged students in health sciences and to improve high school science curricula. Efforts to achieve these goals will consist of providing hands-on research experiences for high school teachers and student participants. The student program consists of two phases: a summer program and an academic-year program. The programs go under the acronym CHUM, resulting from contractual agreements to form a Coalition of High School, Undergraduate, and Medical Schools. The CHUM concept provides formal science lecture and laboratory courses for grades seven and eight during the summer. The purpose of this program is to promote an early interest in science, to provide science backgrounds sufficient for advanced high school science courses, and to prepare these students for hands-on research in following summers. Students in grades nine through 12 are placed in research laboratories for hands-on research experiences. At the end of the summer, each student must submit a paper, in journal form, and give a 15-minute presentation of the work accomplished. During the academic year, students in summer programs are expected to participate in science fair competitions. This is promoted through a four-day December Science Mini-Camp, the establishment of science fair laboratories in the CHUM high schools, and through the services of two consultants; Dr. Park Trefts and Mr. Jose Jones, a high school science teacher. Science teacher participants are given four tasks.They are: 1. to improve and modify existing science curricula, based on summer experiences; 2. to assist with the December Science Mini-Camp, which has well over 100 student participants; 3. to assist with the student development of science fair projects; and 4. to recruit other students and teachers to this programs.
