Educational Projects
Export Project
In 2003, the Center for Research on Minority Health (CRMH) was awarded its original P60 Center Grant to establish a Center of Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach Research on Health Disparities and Training (Project EXPORT). In 2007, the CRMH successfully competed for the renewal of the Project EXPORT grant also known as Project EXPORT - A Center of Excellence (PEACE). This center grant provides support for long-term, multidisciplinary programs of research, education and community outreach in critical health problems areas in Houston. One of the projects that benefitted from this grant opportunity was the PIPELINE Scientific Training Program (PSTP) - Linking Training from High School to Graduate Programs. PSTP was implemented by the CRMH’s Education Core.
Science Project
In 2005, the Center for Research on Minority Health (CRMH) in the Department of Health Disparities Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) formed a partnership to do an educational intervention project focused on environmental health sciences. One of the main focuses of the partnership was to take the PIPELINE Scientific Training Program and implement it at the elementary and high school levels.
The Science Centered Inquiry-Based Educational Activities iN Collaborating Elementary Classrooms (SCIENCE) Project assists in nurturing elementary students' interest in environmental health science and research. The initial funding from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Minority Health Research and Education Grant Program was to utilize inquiry-based science instruction to improve K-2 teachers' science knowledge and pedagogical skills. The project included an environmental health science summer institute that provided professional development and valuable information on multiple strategies used in teaching environmental health sciences to Hispanic and African-American students in FBISD. The SCIENCE Project developed and implemented SCIENCE centers supplied with science education materials for teachers and students to conduct hands-on inquiry-based science activities.
The SCIENCE Project concentrated on increasing the number of under-represented minority students in health professions and biomedical research, fostering increased interest in science and strengthening scientific skills needed to succeed in school. We are proud to say that the program was awarded the Texas Association for Partners in Education Crystal Award for Texas Collegiate Partners
The PSTP linked with the SCIENCE Project introduces interested and qualified Texas youth to the research environment. It also provides firsthand experience working in various careers in the biomedical sciences, public health and community-based participatory. The eight-week program for high school and undergraduate students is conducted in June and July of each year.