Building on the six-year experience of the Minority High School Student Research Apprentice Program (NIH Grant #S03 RR03503) and the research intensive environment at the University of Colorado, the proposed project is designed to increase the pool of underrepresented minority high school students who are interested and academically prepared to pursue careers in biomedical/behavior research and the health professions. Eight high school students and two teachers will be recruited annually to participate in this program. Recruitment of students and teachers will be accomplished through direct contacts in 13 local high schools with science department chairs, counsellors, and special program coordinators. The process for selecting participants will include a systematic review of the applications and reference letters using the specified criteria. A highly structured full-time six-week summer program is planned during June and July with encouragement for continued activities throughout the calendar year. Central to the experience is an assignment to a research mentor where the participant will work as a research assistant. Students will also participate in a full-day weekly seminar series coordinated by the Program Coordinator. These seminars are designed to highlight beginning research issues and techniques, the research environment, and health care professions. In addition to these enriching activities, students and teachers may participate in other learning opportunities (e.g., observation of health professionals in clinical settings, using electronic references systems, work with computers, presentation of findings). At the end of the six-week summer session, a formal completion ceremony will be held to recognize the participants and their accomplishments during this phase. The Project Director is experienced with minority high school and teacher summer programs. She will be assisted by a Project Coordinator, faculty research mentors, and Center for Nursing Research staff. Implemented by the Project Evaluator, the evaluation design includes documenting data, as well as formative, summative, and short-and long-term outcome studies. A Steering Committee will be used to provide guidance to project activities, evaluate findings, and make recommendations.
