The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) proposes to implement a comprehensive program that will enhance the campus' ability to increase the number of underrepresented minorities entering careers in behavioral and biomedical research. The program will build upon existing campus experience and success from its current Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Program and its NSF sponsored Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) summer program which have been successful in moving undergraduates into graduate programs. The components of the UCSD NIH Scholars Program are designed as a comprehensive developmental approach starting with junior high school and concluding with the increased production of minority Ph.D. recipients from UCSD. The UCSD NIH Scholars Program will feature a pipeline approach that includes junior high, high school, undergraduate and graduate students. The participants will be provided a variety of services and opportunities from the program's four separate components: Science Outreach, Lab Training Program, Summer Research Internship and Graduate Enrichment. The Science Outreach program for junior high and high school students will offer exposure to lab research experiments, math and science workshops, seminars with motivational and informational activities, financial aid presentations and one-on-one counseling. The freshman and sophomore undergraduates in the Lab Training component will receive intensive lab training including safety techniques, and will attend interactive presentations by science faculty and graduate students. All participants in the Science Outreach and Lab Training programs will receive a tour of campus, which will include science labs, the library, and the San Diego SuperComputer Center. The opportunities for the junior and senior undergraduates in the Summer Research Internship will include conducting a scientific research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor, graduate school preparation workshops, scientific seminars and a public speaking presentation. The Graduate Enrichment Program will provide graduate students with services including intensive mentoring, career planning/advising, salaries in their first year, paid tutorials, travel funds to attend scientific conferences, and academic and social support to prevent isolation and/or marginalization. In addition, there will be a pilot project in which three entering minority chemistry and biochemistry graduate students will participate in a six-week Summer Research Rotation to assist with the transition to graduate school and to the UCSD campus.
