UMEB: Collaborative Research in Environmental Biology

James Madison University, Harrisonburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

0103732 Wubah The goal of the James Madison University (JMU) UMEB is to recruit, mentor and train minority students to become productive scientists through "hands-on" research experiences. The program will be built on existing partnerships with Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) and Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC). Students recruited from the participating institutions will progress from performing experiments proposed by a JMU faculty mentor to designing their own workable experiments to solve specific environmental problems in the Shenandoah Valley. Students and two community college faculty members will be assigned to a laboratory during the residential summer program. In addition, faculty and participants will take part in seminars presented by scientists, weekly group research meetings, journal clubs, workshops in scientific writing, career development and graduate school admission process and field trips to selected sites. The summer program will end with a research symposium, where students will present their research in oral and poster formats. During the academic year, students in the Harrisonburg area will continue their research and seminars will be held through videoconferencing with NVCC participants. The program will provide a supportive network that will develop skills needed to succeed as environmental scientists.