Long-term Objectives and Specific Aims The long-term objectives and specific aims of this project are as follows: 1.) To increase the number of minority students directed towards biomedical science and health care delivery by providing them with a personalized summer hands-on research experience, professional mentors and motivational workshops throughout the year; 2.) To provide a summer research/study experience for high school science teachers which will enable them to develop innovative educational strategies for students in order to better motivate them towards health careers and 3.) To encourage research scientists at the USC School of Medicine to become mentors to the high school students. Research Design and Methods Since we are interested in determining the impact of the program on the interest and commitment of students and teachers to science, a longitudinal research design will be used. The student focus will be on interest and motivation for science, level of knowledge and aspiration for science related careers, their grades and grade point average and their college interests. The teacher focus will be on the degree to which they incorporate innovative curriculum materials into their science classes, the degree to which they collaborate with research scientists at USC and the degree to which their scientific knowledge increased as a result of the exposure. The method for gathering data will include questionnaires, interviews, self reports and observations. A before-after design will be utilized, especially with questionnaires and self-reports.
