Become a BOOST Science Coach and help inspire the next generation of physicians and scientists from all walks of life!

BOOST needs role models and mentors who can help make science come to life for local fifth and sixth graders - particularly under-represented minorities - and encourage them to pursue careers in medicine or other sciences.

Duke medical students, graduate students, science professional students, and postdoctoral fellows who are themselves part of under-represented minority groups are in a unique position to share their experience and enthusiasm with elementary and middle school students and to help spark these young people's interest in science and medicine.

BOOST is seeking 20 URM Duke medical and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to serve as "Science Coaches" for a minimum one-year commitment. Though we welcome participation of majority background students and fellows, we hope to take advantage of the rich demographic diversity of the Duke School of Medicine's student body in order to send a strong positive message to fifth and sixth grade URM participants about the possibilities open to them. We believe that elementary and middle school students can identify more readily with these pre-professionals because they are close in age, culture, and circumstances.

BOOST program Science Coaches:

• Work with students in the classroom. Some coaches will serve in local fifth grade classrooms, working closely with teachers and groups of students to teach and enhance the science curriculum. You will also have the opportunity to attend the Science Summit (see Teacher Professional Development) to learn more about the science curriculum and teaching approaches. As a coach, you will get to share your research or area of expertise, lead or help facilitate experiential exercises, and encourage students' science inquiries by helping with labs and other hands-on projects. Science Coaches will also help teachers use learning-based inquiry methods in science classes during the one-week Middle School Simulation.

• Serve as individual mentors. Half of our BOOST Science Coaches will become mentors, each working closely with two URM sixth graders selected as "Science Scholars." After orientation and training, you will meet with each student's guidance counselor and/or teacher to learn about each student's background, special needs, behaviors to avoid or encourage, and interests, and will be formally introduced to the students and their parents. Then, you and your team will work together to design and carry out an intensive research project. We hope that this opportunity will encourage some Science Scholars to participate (often for the first time) in activities such as the Student Academy of Science, Science Olympiad, and school science fairs.

• Be a Science Adventure tour guide. As a Science Coach, you will get to participate in several field trips that will bring the fifth and sixth grade Science Scholars to different biomedical research laboratories at Duke. You will help supervise the group and facilitate lively discussions that are sure to come out of these exciting opportunities for students to get a firsthand view of the daily lives of scientists at work.

Science Coaches will participate in two orientation sessions to prepare you for your new role. You will learn about the BOOST program's goals and its place as part of an overarching strategy to increase diversity in the biomedical profession, as well as information on the local science curriculum, academic goals for participating students, and strategies for engaging these students. Regular, informal gatherings will provide opportunities for ongoing support and feedback, and will foster a community of those committed to nurturing younger URM students who can come the next generation of physicians and scientists.