Beside a solid background in their science, scientists need a wide range of `survival skills` to develop into accomplished professionals. They need to communicate effectively orally and in writing, secure employment and funding, manage stress and time, teach, mentor, and behave responsibly. Higher education focuses almost exclusively on disciplinary content and methods. The principal investigators of this proposal have developed a `survival skills curriculum.` This program includes (1) using active scientists rather than individuals from other disciplines as instructors, (2) discussing ethical issues within the context of the skills to which they are relevant, (3) integrating topics of special relevance to women, minorities, the physically challenged and others with special needs, (4) providing information about a broad range of employment opportunities and emphasizing their value, and (5) extensive evaluation. This funding will be used further to develop this model and disseminate it to other institutions via faculty training in this type of instruction. This grant will allow a substantial number of faculty from US institutions to receive the training and materials to establish their own courses, and a substantial number of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to attend the workshops on survival skills and ethics.
