In this application we request continuing support for a productive partnership between the University of Miami (UM) and Miami-Dade College (MDC). Our program focuses on student development, faculty development, and curriculum development. We will retain program elements that we have refined over our prior three Bridge grants. We will continue to: actively recruit high school students in Miami-Dade County; offer special courses and workshops to increase the academic competitiveness of bridge students; provide hourly wages for MDC students doing research with faculty mentors in labs at UM; send students to national scientific meetings; prepare students for research through special courses/seminars; give parents an appreciation for scientific research; and rejuvenate MDC faculty by support for research and innovative teaching (fellowships, mini-grants, and travel funds). We propose several new activities to address our overarching goal of attracting students to Ph.D. programs and research careers. The most innovative of these is a new inquiry-based, one-year Introductory Biology laboratory to expose students to research early in their college careers. Student teams, guided by a UM professor, graduate student, and undergraduate peer leader will generate hypotheses and conduct experiments to investigate four (4) general themes over the year. We will assist Bridge students who have transitioned to UM to find placements in extramural summer research experiences, and we will provide them with a GRE preparation course (funded by one of our complementary programs). Faculty research mentors will be provided a new mentoring workshop, and we will develop a mentor's handbook. MDC faculty will participate in the Introductory Biology laboratory, in bioinformatics workshops, and in the development of interdisciplinary, quantitative modules for introductory courses.
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