This award provides funds to the Biology department of Temple University to support as an REU site for a combined academic year and summer program of undergraduate research. This program will draw on the department's extensive experience with undergraduate research as part of the academic year research program, and also incorporate elements of the Temple University Basic Science Summer Minority Program which has been in effect for the past two years. The goal of this program is to provide a rich research environment and a sense of community among promising students in order to encourage them to enter careers in the biological sciences. To achieve this goal, the program will have two major components. The first of these is continued academic year participation in research projects by students enrolled at Temple. The second is an intensive Summer research program which will reach out to students beyond Temple. Academic year students will have the opportunity to participate in the Summer program. In both components, special effort will be made to attract underrepresented minority students.