This program targets undergraduate biology students, particularly minorities, and is designed to direct them toward advanced training and careers in environmental biology. Student participants will be recruited from predominantly minority colleges and universities in the area (e.g. Chicago State University), from the pool of minority students already affiliated with programs at the Museum, and from major research universities in the local area (e.g. University of Chicago). Students will be involved in an intensive program consisting of two phases. In phase one, with funding from the Field Museum, students will be trained in organismal biology and systematic and collection management techniques. The focus of this work is the analysis of biodiversity. During the second phase, students working closely with a research scientist mentor will create and carry out their own research projects, prepare the results for publication and present them to the participant group. The Field Museum is a center for regional research, and students will have access to facilities at the Brookfield Zoo, The University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northwestern University. In parallel with this academic program the program will also implement a variety of mentoring and advisory activities to ensure that all student derive maximum benefit from their experience and receive appropriate guidance and encouragement on personal and career development.
