The number of minority students who enter careers in biomedical research is disproportionate to the percentage of minorities in the total US population. Researchers have identified several barriers that inhibit minority students from majoring in science at the baccalaureate level, continuing to graduate school, and completing doctoral programs in biomedical research. Studies (see Background and Significance below) of under-represented students that have succeeded in science reveal that faculty mentoring, peer tutoring and participation in study communities play significant roles in student success. Equally critical is the academic training necessary to succeed in the significant """"""""gatekeeper"""""""" courses (mathematics, chemistry and biology) that often determine whether students continue into upper division science courses, and beyond. Modesto Junior College and the University of California, Davis, located in California's Central Valley region, have developed a comprehensive program to assist minority students in their transition from high school to the community college and on to the University. The program will recruit seniors at local high schools to begin the program in the summer prior to their college freshman year. They will participate in a rigorous academic """"""""boot camp"""""""" that will include: Introduction to college life, college algebra or calculus primer course, and study skills development. They will also be introduced to science laboratory techniques and participate in laboratory experiments. Following the first summer, students will be supported academically, personally and financially through college lower division. Math enrichment and research activities will be emphasized. Students will be oriented towards transferring to the University of California at Davis (UCD), a major research institution. They will attend field trips, develop transfer articulation agreements and, during the summer between the freshman and sophomore year at MJC, will participate in research activities at the University. Modesto Junior College (MJC) faculty will participate in UCD research as interns, an activity that will enrich science instruction at MJC for all students.
