The primary mission of the Ni-Shou Gabawag-MBRS Program is to increase the number of minority persons especially American Indians engaged in biomedical research. The objectives are: 1) to increase the number of American Indian biomedical scientists and 2) to enhance the cooperation between the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and the University of Minnesota-Duluth to provide opportunities for minority students to participate in ongoing biomedical research programs. These objectives will be accomplished by the selective placement of minority students in laboratories of established investigators. By interacting with their mentors the students will be exposed to various research designs and methodologies. Program Assistants will be responsible for helping the students develop expertise in specialized areas technology needed for the successful execution or their research. The Fond du Lac Reservation will provide the community support and education to foster the attitudes in both the Indian community and students that biomedical research is a viable career option for the American Indian. In our past experience, it has been evident that students will benefit from their exposure to a variety of research subjects, techniques and investigators. The program areas available to the participating students include neuroscience, metabolism and cellular physiology, immunology and microbiology, and medical sociology and epidemiology.
