Rural areas face unique challenges with respect to community understanding of the nature, complexity, and outcomes of basic and clinical biomedical research. This has important consequences in political and social decision-making and establishing learning environments that inspire student understanding of biomedical sciences and selection of careers in the health arenas. These areas are characterized by peer and K-12 school isolation, few appropriate community models including biomedical industries, research institutes and a population lacking an educational background in these areas. In order to overcome these obstacles, the overarching goals of this project are to deliver awareness units to targeted communities, develop and deliver in cooperation with 7, 8th grade science teachers motivational and experential learning modules with biomedical themes, bolster continuing education for teachers and enhance the graduate enterprise at the University of Wyoming. Multimedia, interactive awareness units will be presented to communities and 7-12 grade assemblies. These will engage the community and contribute to understanding of basic and clinical aspects of biomedical scholarship, its tremendous contributions to society and the need for sustainable support.The learning modules, complete with detailed lesson plans, will prepare students for self-directed learning and will nurture an appreciation for discovery. They will be developed by 7, 8 science teachers, graduate fellows and university faculty. The modules will focus on the interdisciplinary nature and unifying concepts of basic and clinical aspects of selected biomedical areas, complement current curricula and align with state standards. Program participants will have opportunities to participate in ongoing workshops, the Unversity Science Fair and summer research apprenticeships. In order to intervene in the prevalent socio- educational culture that now directs students into non-college curricular tracts in the 9th grade, the program will target 7th and 8th grade science classes. Initially, school districts with significant Native American and Hispanic populations have been targeted; however, our long-term goal is to reach all counties in Wyoming, in part, via distance delivery technologies and continuing education workshops. Benchmarks for progress will be established and continually assessed in order to track projected outcomes. Modifications of the methodology will be based upon analysis of quantitative assessment data.
