The New York Academy of Science will implement the Early Steps ResearchTraining Program, a ten week summer program with an academic year component designed to involve 142 students in grades 8 through 12 in the state of New York. This program will foster and encourage a multi-cultural participation by Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American and Caucasian junior and senior high school students exploring science and technology career options. A major impediment to active participation of lower social-economic level students has been the inability of their parents to support them financially when the local school systems cannot pay for external science and technologyeducation experiences. The Young Scholars Program Project would enable the New York Academy of Sciences to offer cost free to students, the Bridge to Environmental Sciences Careers, a new program and expand minority youth participation in our existing Advance Skills Internship Program. Twenty-five (25) minority 8th - 10th grade students selected from New York City junior and senior high schools will be involved in THE BRIDGE TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES CAREERS, a new project which provides hands-onexperiences in the environmental science and technology related occupations. Participants will be engaged in environmental problem solving, conservation leadership and skill development training workshops, fieldtrips and internships. Approximately 117 11th - 12th grade students will be selected from high schools in New York City and six New York State Counties, to participate in the ADVANCE SKILLS INTERNSHIPS component. Students will be assigned for eight weeks with an outstanding scientist as their mentors at commercial, industrial laboratories, research facilities at colleges, universities, local government and environmental science sites in the State of New York. ***//
