The New York State Psychiatric Institute has a long tradition and deep commitment to providing support to minority youth by encouraging career development in the biomedical sciences. The proposed project requests funding to support eight high school students and two high school teachers (one pre-service and one in-service) to work in research laboratories supervised by senior research scientists. All student applicants will undergo a process that selects for academic achievement and an interest in a career in the field of mental health. Teachers will be selected on the basis of their ability to reach minority students and their plans to integrate the experience into their instruction. Research mentors will be selected on the basis of their commitment to minority education, their ability to provide a rewarding research experience, and past experience with similar programs. Research experiences will be supplemented with a core curriculum, grand rounds lectures in three departments and the preparation and presentation of research papers. The evaluation component will assess participants' satisfaction with the program as well as feedback on their research presentations; it will also include participant observation of the students and teachers in tutorial sessions.
