LaGuardia Community College proposes a five-year program to increase the participation of its minority student population in the biomedical sciences. The program is designed to prepare, encourage and assist program participants to complete their programs of study at LaGuardia Community College and transfer into an appropriate four-year college. The program builds on the success of the College's on-going program and its collaboration with four senior colleges: Barnard College, The City College, Hunter College and Queens College. It is proposed that between 1998 and 2003 some 192 students will be involved 24 students per year. The academic experiences offered by the proposed program include rigorous supervised research experiences, tutorial support, seminars, academic and career counseling, a transition to a senior college group, and motivational speakers. Expectations are that students will increase their content knowledge, acquire laboratory skills and techniques, and learn to conduct literature searches, write research papers and give oral presentations. Research projects are carefully selected to insure relevance and coverage of a variety of areas such as Alzheimer's disease and the effects of low-frequency electromagnetic fields on plant growth. Years II-V will continue the program design with new projects selected by a Project Selection Committee, additional collaborating senior colleges, and a defined, broad role for these colleges. It is anticipated that program participants will conduct research at LaGuardia Community College or on the campus of one of the four-year colleges under the supervision of a mentor from the respective institution.
