Since 1988 University of Georgia mathematics faculty members have conducted special calculus workshops to support students from traditionally under-represented groups (minorities and women) who aspire to scientific and technical careers. 'These workshops provide laboratory experiences concurrent with the calculus fence that is a principal curricular obstacle for such students (and others). The approach centers on an informal collaborative atmosphere in which students help each other solve challenging and interesting problems with non-intrusive guidance by carefully selected and trained graduate and undergraduate student leaders. This approach -- with its emphasis on personal attention, and interaction with peers and more advanced students -- yields substantial improvement in both student achievement and continuing interest in mathematics. Specifically, the calculus workshop has raised the success rates (in first-term calculus) of participants from 58% to 88% (and-from 54% to 92% for Black students). To broaden and enhance this workshop experience for minority and women students, with an eventual goal of transferring its evident benefits to the larger calculus student population, the interactive Mathematica software environment will be employed to involve students in symbolic, graphical, and numerical explorations that bridge the gap between formal manipulations and the more conceptual aspects of calculus.
