any biology programs have found that involvement in research as an undergraduate is excellent preparation for a wide variety of careers. But in some cases, involvement in research has a more focused goal. At Morehouse College, an all-male, historicallyblack college in Atlanta, involvement in research is heavily skewed toward a particular problem—the very low numbers of African Americans among biology faculty members. Since its founding a few years after the Civil War, Morehouse has sought to instill in young African American men a sense of tradition and responsibility toward future generations. About 5 percent of the country's black Ph.D.s received their undergraduate degrees from Morehouse. Many who have taken academic jobs did so in the hope of encouraging even more young men to enter the professoriate. "Coming to Morehouse was a seminal event in my life and in choosing a career in science," says Morehouse president Walter Massey, a former director of the National Science Foundation who graduated from Morehouse in 1958 with a combined degree in mathematics and physics. "Several times I thought I couldn't complete the degree. But my mentors had confidence in me even when I didn't have confidence in myself." As at other institutions, there is a tension at Morehouse between producing students who go on to medical school or to graduate school. Out of Morehouse's 50 to 60 biology majors each year, about half go to medical or dental school. "For nine out of ten students, the only role models that they've seen have been professional people—doctors, dentists," says biology professor David Cooke III. "By the time they get to Morehouse they've already made up their minds. But sometimes minds can be changed." "On average, about three graduates of the biology department attend graduate school every year," says J. K. Haynes, who chairs the biology department. "If we could increase that number to five to ten, we would be sending more black men to graduate programs in biology than any other college in the country." The best way to do that, according to Haynes, would be to recruit more intensively at the high school level. Through its Summer Science Institute, Morehouse brings about 100 students to campus every summer to study science and carry out research. Haynes would like to do even more to attract promising young African American men to Morehouse's biology program. "If we could recruit 10 to 15 bright freshmen who were interested in research, we have in place the support mechanisms to keep them on track to graduate schools," he says. Haynes knows the department needs to offer top students the resources that other colleges and universities have. And Morehouse, like other small liberal arts colleges, has been feeling the pinch of tight research funding. To make up for the shortfall, Haynes and Massey hope to raise a $1 million research endowment for the sciences from private donations. Returns from the endowment would help support faculty members between grants and provide some startup funding. In that way Morehouse could keep alive the research projects that interest undergraduates in scholarship and in academic careers of their own. "I would like to see every Morehouse student engaged in research," says Massey. Mission Statement of Morehouse College's Biology Department 1. To provide students with a fundamental knowledge of biology. 2. To prepare students for and assist them in entering graduate and professional school and the work force. 3. To strengthen students' reading, writing, and quantitative skills. 4. To develop students' analytical reasoning and creative thinking skills. 5. To expose students to contemporary research techniques in biology and to enhance their understanding of the scientific method. 6. To conduct meritorious research in the field of biology. 7. To acquaint students with the history of biology, including the contributions of Black scientists. 8. To engender an appreciation among students of the social and economic implications of discoveries in biology. 9. To make students aware of ethical and moral issues related to basic tenets in biology.

Walter Robinson studied drug resistance as a high school student attending a summer research program at Morehouse College. He is now an undergraduate at Duke University. The Many Paths to Success Undergraduates in Research at the University of Arizona A Community of Scholars at Stanford University Reaching Across Generations at Morehouse College Lessons Learned Faculty Voices A World Of Opportunity Changes in the Classroom The Laboratory Experience Faculty in the Crossfire Expanding The Talent Pool   A number of regional and national organizations offer assistance for minority students interested in biology.