This program will facilitate the education of minority students at the MS level of USC with the objective of preparing these students to continue for the Ph.D. degree at CSU or elsewhere. The proposal involves the support of six minority students in the Master of Science in Applied Natural Science (MSANS) program and their advisors at USC. The advisor pool at USC consists of four women and four underrepresented minority faculty and there are a minimum of six consultants at CSU. Dr. Wilkes is principal investigator and program coordinator at USC and Dr. Crans is co-principal investigator/consultant at CSU. The program described in this proposal will enhance the masters degree program at USC by emphasizing and facilitating state-of-the-art research, while easing the transition of MS students to the Ph.D. degree through collaborations with more experienced faculty. USC is located in Pueblo a section of Colorado where the local student population is 50 percent Hispanic. Consequently, USC has a high proportion of Hispanic students, in addition to a relatively high percentage of minority and female faculty to act as role models for minority students. The pilot program has already increased the number of minority students in the MS program continuing to Ph.D. programs and should this grant be continued, it will increase, even further, the number of minority students in the pipeline to doctoral degrees. The proposed program will expand the research opportunities, provide formal interaction with Ph.D. institution faculty and students and provide access to specialized facilities not currently available at USC. These activities are designed to nurture and encourage the development of the minority students, who, upon completion of the MS degree, will be highly qualified and desirable students in biomedical and health related Ph.D. programs.
