An NIH and NSF Funded Program in Biological Research for Community College Students

In a program supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, selected students in biology courses at Valencia Community College actively pursue the scientific method in a series of laboratory exercises. Results are then published as reports written in the format of a scientific paper. Faculty from the disciplines of biology and English composition evaluate students' work. Students are required to collaborate and present findings as if they are researchers. Students interested in science careers can subsequently enroll in a research training course, upon completion of which they are eligible for a summer internship at a partnering research university. Summer interns are required to present their findings to faculty of both the host and the parent institutions in accepted formats.