Cornell is No. 1 for sending students in life sciences to graduate school, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF). But, just like other schools, Cornell needs to boost how many minority students seek advanced degrees in the life sciences.

Now, thanks to almost $1 million from the NSF and $16,000 per year from Cornell's Office of the Provost, a new Cornell program aims to broaden the pipeline of underrepresented minorities entering life sciences graduate fields.

The Biology Research Fellows Program has announced its inaugural class of eight fellows, all juniors, who will begin the program in January. The fellowships are not intended for pre-medical students, but to enhance the diversity and number of undergraduates who plan to pursue careers in biology research.

"We have never had support like this to develop and implement a program for diversifying the group of students going into research careers," said Bonnie Comella, director of academic advising for biological science and director of the Biology Scholars Program, which aims to diversify the sciences at Cornell by supporting historically underrepresented populations in biology fields.

Myra Shulman, a senior research associate in ecology and evolutionary biology, and Ron Harris-Warrick, professor of neurobiology and behavior, are leading the fellowship program.

Although the new program targets juniors and seniors majoring in biology or a related field from an underrepresented population, including Hispanic/Latino; African-American; Native American; and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, the fellowships are also open to students who demonstrate a commitment to diversity through continued interest in supporting disadvantaged groups through such activities as tutoring inner-city youths. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to be eligible.

The fellowships provide $21,000 per student over almost two years, which breaks down into a stipend of $1,000 per month over 17 months, a summer housing allowance, costs of attending a scientific meeting and $2,000 for research.

"The NSF wants to reduce the financial constraints on students," said Shulman. "It's designed to take the pressure off to [allow students to] explore the amazing research opportunities at Cornell."

Fellows will be matched with faculty mentors and given opportunities to work part time in their labs throughout the school year and full time during their junior-year winter session and summer prior to senior year. The program also offers one-credit skill-development seminars in researching scientific literature, developing experimental design, writing research proposals, giving lectures and preparing PowerPoint presentations, for example. Students will also contribute to the community through peer mentoring and outreach.

"I view it as the great chain of mentoring," said Shulman. "They are mentored, and they will mentor others."

The training also will teach the students how to "navigate the culture of science," which may be especially important for minority students with limited exposure to academia, said Comella.

Applications for next year's fellowships are due March 30.