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The
2002 Undergraduate Summer Diversity Research Program in the news!
The
National Science Foundation
In July of 2002, the
Undergraduate Summer Diversity Research Program, had the honor of being
highlighted on the National Science Foundation's website. Check it out
on: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/02/tip020722.htm.
The State
of Montana Public Radio
The 2002 NSF EPSCoR
Summer Research Lecture Series will be aired on the State of Montana's
National Public Radio, allowing for all who tune in to enjoy the high
quality series.
The State
of Montana NSF EPSCoR Newsletter
The article below,
appeared in the September edition of the State of Montana NSF EPSCoR newsletter.
They did a great job showcasing specific elements of the program - research,
presentations and of course, the trip to Jack Horner's Hell Creek paleontology
site!
2002 Summer
Diversity Program 110% Successful
MISSOULA -- This summer marks the second year of The University
of Montana-Missoula's NSF EPSCoR Undergraduate Summer Diversity Research
program. This program provides students with an opportunity to participate
in scientific and/or technological research in an academic setting. Participants
are recruited from universities with diverse ethnic, racial and cultural
backgrounds. Following a competitive selection process, students are matched
with faculty who are actively involved in research at the Missoula campus.
Selected students participate in an eight-week summer research program
designed to provide exposure to research and graduate school opportunities,
and to experience "Big Sky Country" at it's finest.
Counseling and advising of summer diversity students on the range of graduate
programs, professional schools, and the cutting-edge science at UM are
an integral part of the eight-week program. One long-term goal of the
Diversity program is to assist in increasing the number of women and underrepresented
group applicants to the science related programs at The University of
Montana. Just recently, one 2001 diversity student began the application
process for her acceptance to UM's Pharmaceutical Sciences program.
The growth from the first year to the second is considered a huge success.
The program grew not only in the number of participants--4 students and
4 mentors to 9 students and 9 mentors, but also in depth and breadth in
the number and range of research experiences had be all the participants.
The 2002 mentors were recruited from several disciplines (Biology, Chemistry,
Pharmaceutical Sciences) and work on campus in a variety of roles--researchers,
professors, department chairs, and center directors. Under the guidance
of their mentors, students researched a wide array of subjects. At this
year's oral and poster presentations, the diversity students presented
on numerous topics: HIV - 2, Metal ion removal and recovery, and Asbestos
exposure, to name a few.
This summer's program brought together an "excellent demographic
balance of the student population on our campus," said Dr. Cliff
Berkman, assistant professor at San Francisco State University (SFSU)
and UM's recruiting connection to their campus. This diverse group of
students came together in Missoula where they shared everything from drom
living to Glacier Park camping. Despite their differences, over the course
of the eight-week program they grew into a cohesive group. Many of the
SFSU students had never traveled outside of the Bay Area, and often were
surprised by the openness of the Montana terrain, but even more surprised
by the openness of the people of Montana. For some, this was their first
time living away from their families and homes. For all, the program was
unlike anything they had ever experienced.
SFSU is traditionally a non-research based school where undergraduates
have little or no opportunity to participate in research. This leaves
these students hungry for research experiences. The UM Diversity program
offers students a wide array of fundamental laboratory skills and experiences
necessary to gain access to the plethora of research opportunities available
at The University of Montana-Missoula. Since the program began, two diversity
students have used their newly acquired research skills to land jobs in
other institutional laboratories. One is conducting core lab work and
the other is working with bone marrow transplants. "My summer in
Montana did a great job of teaching me the basic laboratory techniques
that I have utilized in my current position. These techniques include
cell culturing, sterile practice and, of course, pipetting. Because of
the NSF EPSCoR program at The University of Montana, I felt very comfortable
starting in my current research position and I recommend that any undergraduate
interested in research should take advantage of this program", stated
Brian Wardwell (2001 program participant).
This year, to help enrich the program, a summer research lecture series
was created. This lecture series endeavored to bring world-class speakers,
offering expert knowledge, across a wide continuum of research areas and
current political issues in the research sciences, to The University of
Montana campus, the Missoula community and NSF EPSCoR's summer diversity
program participants. The diversity students had the unique opportunity
to participate in a pre-lecture lunch and discussion with each guest lecturer,
which in turn lead to great conversation and a greater respect and understanding
of the lecturer's expertise.
To round out the students' experiences, they were introduced to Montana's
outdoor world. The Diversity program arranged for multiple weekend outdoor
outings. A 2002 favorite was the visit to Jordan, Montana and Dr. Jack
Horner's (Director, Museum of the Rockies, MSU-Bozeman) Hell Creek site
The Hell Creek Formation is located in the Badlands of Eastern Montana,
a seemingly desolate, but beautiful environment. Here the students learned
that geologically, the top layer of the formation is located on the K-T
boundary (this marks end of the Cretaceous Period and the beginning of
the Tertiary Period, the exact geological moment when dinosaurs are believed
to have slipped into extinction). Hell Creek is, literally, a dinosaur
graveyard of the highest degree.
The students spent several days hiking and prospecting in Hell Creek with
individual Horner team members. They also visited a satellite dig where
a group of 5 of Horner's team just recently completed the unearthing of
what is being considered, the best disarticulated sub-adult T-Rex skeleton
in the world (better known as B-Rex-named for its discoverer, Bob Harmon).
Needless to say, it was a remarkable experience.
(For further information visit: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010820/trex.html).
At the close of this summer, the Diversity program coordinator, Holly
Truitt, reflected on the past two years, and has begun to make plans for
the 2003 program. "I am proud of the Diversity program's many accomplishments,
but I feel certain that the time has come for it to grow." This autumn
Truitt will set in motion the recruiting process at other institutions
(Eastern and Southern coasts) as well as continue to increase the total
number of participants. Certainly these changes will allow for more diversity
in the program, and increased visibility for The University of Montana-Missoula
campus and its graduate programs.
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