The
New York TImes: Brent Staples writes about the experiences
of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in attracting
students to science. According to Staples, despite being
generally less well known than the main University of Maryland
campus, UMBC is building a significant reputation for remaking
science education in America âmdash; and in
particular, for increasing minority participation, which lags
even after decades of federally supported initiatives.
The reason for their success is UMBC's Meyerhoff Scholars
Program, which has about 1,900 applications each year for about
50 places. A
study
in Science published on 31 March suggested that "86 percent
of the Meyerhoff participants graduated with science or
engineering degrees. Nearly 9 in 10 of those graduates went on
to graduate or professional programs, with a significant number
earning M.D.'s or Ph.D's, or both....More than half of the
Meyerhoff students are black."Other universities should follow
UMBC's lead, says Staples, but it "won't be easy."
