The proposed Minority Initiative for K-12 Teachers and High School Science Students has been designed to give minority high school students underrepresented in the sciences an intensive basic hands- on research laboratory experience, expose them to the research environment, enhance educational opportunities for students at the high school level, provide an understanding of and appreciation for science and the scientific process, and encourage students to pursue a science-based college education. Teachers will be exposed to contemporary issues in research, laboratory techniques, and hands-on experiences that should allow them to return to the classroom with a renewed sense of the excitement of scientific research and an increased ability to provide a meaningful science experience for their students with added curriculum components of discovery-based learning. Following a careful and detailed recruitment and selection process of students, teachers, and mentors, program participants will be assigned to a research laboratory where they will be integrated into the lab as part of the research team. Throughout the eight-week summer internship program, they will be closely supervised by a mentor and will be given responsibilities commensurate with their previous experience and ability. In addition to the actual conduct of the research, other activities will include research planning, library research, data analysis, and where appropriate, the publication process. Several enrichment activities, including seminars, tours and field trips to other scientific organizations will be organized. Students will keep a journal of their summer experience, present the results of their research projects to their mentors, peers, parents and teachers, and complete a detailed evaluation and report on their summer experience. Follow-up, year-round activities will be planned and implemented, including a monthly Saturday study group, assistance with the college admissions process, and lectures by TSRI mentors in the students' classrooms. Teachers will maintain an ongoing relationship with their mentors by collaboration on curriculum development, guest lectures, tours of the Institute, and introduction of hands-on demonstrations in the classroom.
