The University of North Carolina and the North Carolina Community College System seek support to continue development and implementation of a program designed to increase the number of under represented minority community college students who participat in advanced education and training leading to a baccalaureate degree in biology, chemistry, or mathematics. The North Carolina Transition Program in the Biomedical Sciences (NCTPBS) will provide 25 minority community college students with academic year and summer educational and biomedical research experiences that will ease their transition between the two educational systems.
Specific aims of the proposed project are to: (1) Build on existing relationships with four separate clusters of educational institutions, compose of one or more senior public institutions and one or more community colleges; (2) Engage in the early identification of potential minority community college faculty and academic counselors/advisors who are knowledgeable about their students' academic and psychosocial backgrounds; (3) Provide academic enhancement seminars, jointly developed and taught by community college and senior institution faculty that will provide an overview of career opportunities in the biomedical sciences and introduce minority students and community college faculty to current topics in biomedical research; (4) Develo biomedical research skills in targeted minority community college students and community college faculty through a summer research lab/seminar experience; (5 Facilitate the transition of minority community college students into four-yea senior institutions through a campus orientation seminar, involvement in continuous academic and psychosocial support activities, and exposure to university-based financial assistance opportunities; (6) Monitor the impact of project activities on participating students in order to modify and expand involvement of additional students and/or other institutions in the project. A comprehensive program evaluation plan will be implemented.
