As part of a major institutional effort to enhance the Biology program for science majors, prospective science teachers, and non-science students, this project is providing two types of laboratory equipment: a physiograph system for detecting, recording, and quantifying basic physiological functions, and stereoscopic microscopes for examining and identifying small organisms. The equipment is being used by a variety of students, from first-year Biology majors and Science Education students to advanced students conducting independent research. About one-half of the students belong to an underrepresented minority -- Hispanic, Native American, or Black. A substantial number also are non-traditional, older students acquiring advanced education in order to enhance their ability to work in science- or technology-related employment. Most are women.
