The purpose of this project is to attract high school students into research careers in the biomedical sciences. The core site will be research laboratories in the University of Maryland Dental School including the Departments of Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Microbiology. Oral Medicine, Orthodontics and General Dentistry. The one-on-one faculty-student relationship is the core of this project. Hands on involvement in projects funded by NIH or other sources will ensure the development of students into independent thinkers and workers. Other activities include field trips to NIH, seminar courses designed for the high school students, and a Presentation Day. There will be 3 weekly seminar courses: one on general research topics such as bioethics, laboratory safety, experimental design, laboratory animals, etc.; one on biomedical careers; and one on recent scientific advances. Our School has an excellent track record in managing training programs for pre-college level students. We have been awarded the NIH High School Apprenticeship Grant continuously since 1988, with increased funding yearly. We have also been successful in motivating our students, since they have gone to pursue biomedical careers at Harvard, Penn State, Georgetown, John's Hopkin's, and many others. Procedures are already in place for recruitment of students, especially underrepresented groups such as racial minorities, women and the handicapped, and for matching them with their mentors. Our Program also includes the training of teachers so that they can in turn inspire their students. There is strong commitment to this project from the administration of the dental school and campus which houses 6 health professional schools, and attracted 110.7 million dollars in research grants last year.
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