The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, runs the Meyerhoff Scholars Program.
The students are encouraged to study in groups and taught to solve complex problems collectively, as teams of scientists do. Most important, they are quickly exposed to cutting-edge science in laboratory settings, which demystifies the profession and gives them early access to work that often leads to early publication in scientific journals. At the same time, however, the students are pushed to perform at the highest level. Those who earn C's, for example, are encouraged to repeat those courses so they can master basic concepts before moving on. The laboratory approach keeps the students excited and prevents them from drifting off into less challenging disciplines.
The program has been very successful in attracting minority students to enroll in science and engineering programs at UMBC, and those students are getting good grades and graduating!
Read the article in Science magazine (March 31) by Michael F. Summers1 and Freeman A. Hrabowski that describes the program, and triggerred the Times editorial. (Subscription required.)
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