This project is providing scholarship support to attract academically talented students who are economically disadvantaged, as well as those that are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, to pursue a degree in biotechnology. Scholarships are awarded to two cohorts of 15 students for each year of study - four years for incoming freshmen and three years for rising sophomores. To complement the financial support the project is developing and implementing academic support services to enhance existing programs that are designed: to assist students in making a smooth transition to college life in a large university; to develop effective study and time management strategies; and to succeed academically in a challenging curriculum. In addition, the project is enhancing faculty mentoring opportunities and stimulating social interaction and "bonding" within the two cohorts of scholarship recipients. The intellectual merit of the project is seen through its foundation on a nationally recognized interdisciplinary model curriculum in biotechnology. This foundation enables the project to assist each of its scholars in identifying a research mentor and/or an internship in industry for the summer following the end of the third academic year; and to acquaint the students with career opportunities through field trips, workshops, and other programs designed to pave the way to the biopharmaceutical workforce or advanced study in graduate or professional school. Beyond the benefit felt by the scholarship recipients, the project is having a broader impact by increasing the size and enhancing the diversity of the biopharmaceutical workforce and contributing to the continued growth and global competitiveness of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
