We propose to establish a summer program for undergraduates with non-biological sciences backgrounds that will provide cross-discipline training and experiences in combining the physical sciences backgrounds of the participants with concepts and approaches of functional genomics and cell biology to address biomedical research problems. The intended impact of our program is to encourage participating students to pursue graduate education in biomedical sciences, followed by careers in biomedical research. Six students will be selected each year to pursue 10-week research experiences in one of eleven laboratories at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Instruction in functional genomics and cell biology will be provided through workshops and a series of seminars. Students will work as a group on a cross-discipline case study in wound-healing. In addition, students will receive instruction in research ethics, scientific writing, and career opportunities in biomedical sciences. At the conclusion of the summer, students will present their work at a poster session and receive evaluations. Students will be encouraged to publish their results in the Journal of the Ohio Association of Science. To build community among these students, they will participate in a series of social and cultural events. Formative evaluations will be used to alter and fine-tune the Program, and summative evaluations will be carried out at the conclusion of each summer and again, as the participants graduate from their undergraduate institutions, to measure the long-term impact of the Program on the participating students.
