DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the proposed Increasing Minority Admissions to Research Institutions (IMARI) program is to increase the pool of competitive disadvantaged students electing to pursue advanced biomedical research careers. The IMARI program will provide: a) an early academic intervention component - providing educational enhancement through an After-School Academic Reinforcement and Enrichment (ASARE) program; b) a mentoring and advising component for freshman students, available to them through graduation; c) for research: an in-house pre-research training program and an off-campus biomedical research training aspect. Additionally, participants will be exposed to top researchers through a Visiting Scientist program; d) a forum for science faculty to develop their critical thinking skills. It is expected that 60% of participants in the IMARI program will matriculate into graduate programs.