ERIC Number: EJ1325648
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Oct
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2576-6767
EISSN: N/A
Base Pair: 28 Years of Sustained High School Biomedical Research Mentorship Driving Health Sciences Career Progression
Stray, Stephen; Gordy, Xiaoshan; Sullivan, Donna; Bender, Susan; Cook, Cindy; McKone, Kathy; Stokes, Jeff; Rockhold, Rob
Journal of STEM Outreach, v3 n3 Oct 2020
Base Pair is an ongoing (1992-present) collaboration between University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) faculty mentors and Mississippi high school students and teachers. UMMC faculty and Base Pair teachers designed a course which has allowed curriculum innovations by teachers. The student component engages 15 trainees annually in laboratory experiences under direct faculty mentorship while receiving high school graduation credit. Students have a 100% high school graduation rate (vs. [approximately]88% nationally) and 99% college entrance. These students have co-authored/presented over 450 times in UMMC, state or national venues. Of 220 graduates, roughly 63% are in/have completed post-baccalaureate training. Of these, at least 49 have gained a terminal degree in science or law, while another 35 students have attained a Master's degree. Over 100 teachers have been mentored in grant-writing exercises and curriculum development, resulting in over 159 applications for external funding of inquiry-based classroom activities of which 78% were funded. Teachers have also implemented several innovative STEM curricula, reaching thousands more students. These include a student team-based competition that fuses citizen science and molecular biology to assess insect infection with "Wolbachia" bacteria. Base Pair bolsters student engagement, promotes STEM/health career advancement for students, and enhances teacher job satisfaction.
Descriptors: College School Cooperation, College Faculty, High School Students, High School Teachers, Biomedicine, Student Research, Laboratories, Mentors, Graduation Rate, College Attendance, Educational Attainment, Program Effectiveness, Faculty Development, Grantsmanship, STEM Education, Curriculum Development
Journal of STEM Outreach. PMB 0367, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203. e-mail: jstemoutreach@vanderbilt.edu; Web site: https://www.jstemoutreach.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mississippi
Grant or Contract Numbers: R25GM129212