The University of New Mexico Department of Biology will establish a Career Development Program in Environmental Biology for minority undergraduates that will bring students into an extended one on one relationship with research ecologists from UNM, Sandia National laboratory, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Ten UNM Biology Department faculty members, along with scientists from collaborating organizations, have pledged their time and expertise to the proposed program. Students will be recruited in their sophomore year, and will participate in the program through graduation. As each cohort graduates, they will be replaced by a new group of sophomores. Each student will select one or more faculty members as research mentors during their program. The program will include academic and career counseling, and a structured educational component in addition to standard coursework. This enhanced curriculum will encompass practical and theoretical aspects of the scientific method, hypothesis development and testing, experimental design and statistical analysis, implementation of independent research projects, computerized data management, and the preparation of project results for oral presentation and a written journal. Students will gain personal experience in the area of their specialized interests as well as in other ongoing ecological research at UNM.
