This proposal is submitted under a special pilot program, Undergraduate Mentorships in Environmental Biology. The four year program will offer undergraduate students first hand experience in carrying out ecological research under the mentorships of six active research ecologists. We will aggressively seek to involve groups traditionally under represented in environmental biology, includi ng trainees of Latino, American Indian, and African American backgrounds as well as a number of non minority students. This effort will be aided considerably by close coordination with existing programs that target these minority groups at ASU. The program is a specialized educational track consisting of an integrative first year seminar, early exposure to advanced courses, research involvement at the outset of students' college careers, and continued follow up and support of individual students as they make plans for graduate school and future careers. Careful documentation of the program's successes and failures, support from other research experience programs targeting more advanced undergraduate students, and placement of students in individual laboratories will facilitate the entry of alumni and alumnae of this program into research careers in environmental biology.
