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The HHMI grant to the University of Nevada School of Medicine will support programs for precollege students grades K-12, for preservice and inservice K-12 teachers, and for future scientists and physicians.
The previously-supported High School Medical Scholars program will be expanded to a four-week residential program for high school juniors. The goals of the Medical Scholars program are to prepare students for a successful senior year in high school, for transition from high school to college and the selection of a science major once in college, by engaging them in inquiry-based science experiences that reinforce not only their understanding of important science concepts but also the math and writing skills that form the foundation for sustained academic success. Activities will focus on the process of inquiry and the application of students' knowledge of microbiology and immunology. The School of Medicine has a cohort of over 100 past program participants who are now in college and willing to serve as mentors to the Medical Scholars as they make the transition into their freshman year at University.
Past participants in the Medical Scholars program and the Summer of Discovery program (funded by HHMI under the previous grant but not the 2003 award) will be engaged in a two-week, summer follow-up session, called `Nevadans Into Medicine.' Timed to target these students as they near the completion of their college education, Nevadans Into Medicine was developed as a response to evaluation data that has shown that students falter between their sophomore and junior year in college. The mentor program described above will be the precursor to the Nevadans Into Medicine program, which will itself consist of social support plus practical assistance such as preparation for the MCAT or graduate entrance exams and interviews.
Professional development for teachers will focus on both pre and inservice teachers. Preservice teacher science courses will be developed using a model developed in the 1999 HHMI grant. Three components of Science Partners form the core of the professional development effort: (1) providing classroom teachers with science partners to serve as change agents to increase the quality and quantity of inquiry-based science; (2) creating a cohort of elementary master Science Partner teachers; and (3) providing teachers with specific inquiry-based training workshops. This proposal will bring together the master teachers from the 1999 initiative to design a comprehensive series of Saturday workshops, combined with school-based planning sessions, to implement effective professional development.
With the 2003 funding, Science Partners will be expanded in two directions- to include graduate students and high school students. It is hoped that the strategies developed under Science Partners will be institutionalized within each of the two school district partners.
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