This is a revised application for support for the renewal of our Minority High School Science Education Program (MHSSEP) Research Education Programs at Wayne State University. The WSU NIMH COR is designed to stimulate, interest, and motivate minority high school students to pursue college careers and follow undergraduate majors in biomedical and behavioral science disciplines that ultimately lead to careers in mental health. The major feature of our program at Wayne State is to provide students with science education enrichment activities and hands-on summer research experiences in mental health specifically, in our program behavioral and psychosocial research disciplines. Each student will have a COR Training Faculty Mentor specifically involved in mental health or mental health related research. The COR students will spend the equivalent of two years in the program by participating in both the Post Junior High School Summer Research Apprenticeship (year 1) and the Pre-College Summer Research Apprenticeship (year 2). COR students are provided a strong advising and counseling component to facilitate their entry into college. The goals of the WSU NIMH COR are to: (1) significantly increase the number of minority students from Detroit area high schools who enter college and pursue undergraduate majors in mental health-related science disciplines; (2) promote the retention of COR students in science disciplines during their undergraduate training; and (3) to increase the persistence of COR students to obtain baccalaureate degrees and to pursue graduate/professional degrees in science disciplines related to mental health research. The Program Director of the High School COR program also serves as the Program Director of the NIMH COR (Undergraduate) program at Wayne State University. Similarly, much of the Faculty Research Mentors in the NIMH COR Summer Research Apprenticeship Program are COR Faculty Investigators. Thus, a coordinated academic infrastructure and faculty network has been established at Wayne State University for research education, research training and research career development of minority student in both the psychosocial and neurobehavioral disciplines at multiple levels of the academic pipeline including high school research education (COR).
