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• Our main challenge is getting applications into the hands of the students and teachers whom we want to apply to our programs. We have developed an extensive database of science teachers and guidance counselors in the Cincinnati area. We mailed information to teachers at home and directly to students. We also mail/emailed to guidance and college counselors, all teachers who have written recommendations for past applicants, community individuals and groups that have direct contact with students and teachers, and, of course, all students and teachers who have requested information. We have a website and online applications. We have new marketing material. We attend college fairs and host student groups at the UCCOM. We are trying to improve our distribution methods and media coverage. We have established relationships with the science and gifted student coordinators from CPS and area schools. We have no problem with retention, but we do have recruitment problems related to dissemination of information. The number of applications we receive remains constant. The CSOW program has provided increased access to local schools, thus awareness of our programs has increased. The Saturday Science Academy received applications from schools that were previously unrepresented in the applicant pool. The CSOW staff used the opportunities presented by the CSOW visits to encourage student interest and teacher support in and of the Saturday Science Academy, which is the next program in the pipeline.
• This year our second challenge was identifying the entering 9th grade students for the PREMD program. For the PreMD program we work with selected high schools. Many of these schools do not have ¿feeder¿ elementary schools because the CPS system has a ¿School of Choice¿ program which allows students to go to any high school they choose within the school system regardless of where the student lives. The only restriction is for the schools that require an entrance exam. If the student passes the exam then they are allowed to attend these schools as well. This process makes it difficult to concretely identify the entering student body until late summer, because the students can change their initial decision up until school begins. To resolve the issue we have identified some schools that have middle school and high school combined (7-12). We will partner with some of these schools and recruit URE students from surrounding school districts. Further, we will allow students outside the cohort to participate in pre-determined information sessions.

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