While school is out for many students in the state, school-like experiences are just beginning for those attending summer programs at UAMS. With a place as huge and hugely diverse as UAMS, there are many avenues for students whose interest in learning didn’t stop at the sound of the final school bell. UAMS sponsors mentoring programs through ACRC, Arkansas CARES, AHECs and the College of Medicine — to name a few.

MASH in the AHECs

The Medical Application of Science Health (MASH) is a hands-on program for students who want to learn more about health professions careers. After 12 years of success, the highly-acclaimed MASH program has become a familiar one to youth in the state. The program brings early medical career awareness to interested juniors and seniors in high school. It began at the AHEC in Pine Bluff in 1988 and has branched out to other AHEC sites around Arkansas, including UAMS. "About four years ago, Liz Genz (director, Volunteer Services) came to me for help with the shadowing program we had for teens," explained Yvonne Lewis, Ed.D., associate director for education, AHECs. "She saw me giving tours to MASH students and asked, ‘Why don’t we do that at UAMS and show students the neat things going on here?’"

This year, more than 375 students attended one of 24 MASH programs at different host sites in the state. The program sponsored by UAMS Medical Center Auxiliary and the Office of Volunteer Services hosted 11 of those students during the two-week program.

Students selected from Central, Parkview, Pulaski Academy and Sylvan Hills High School learned first-hand what it is like to be a medical professional. Lecture topics and hands-on activities for MASH students included: first aid training, heart dissection, casting, forensic medicine, nutrition, emergency medicine and organ donation. Students also shadowed health professionals.

PIR at ACRC

Partners in Research (PIR) kicked off its 27th year with an orientation at ACRC for 27 medical, pharmacy and undergraduate students. These students spent 10 weeks learning about cancer-related research, patient care and education.

All of the students worked with basic scientists in research labs. "We hope their experiences this summer will encourage some of these outstanding students to consider careers in cancer research," said Thomas Kelly, Ph.D., associate professor, Pathology. Kelly co-directs PIR with Richard Nicholas, M.D., director, Cancer Education, ACRC.

Students also attended weekly lectures presented by ACRC faculty and shadowed clinicians to learn first-hand how doctors interact with patients. The program ended with a day-long symposium in which students presented the results of their summer research projects.

PIR is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and has been offered to students each summer since 1975. This year’s program represented one of the largest groups to participate in PIR to date.

BRIN at UAMS

This summer, faculty and students from a number of undergraduate institutions in Arkansas are participating in the Arkansas Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (AR BRIN) Summer Research Program. AR BRIN was initiated by a three-year grant awarded to UAMS from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with the goal of expanding the biomedical research infrastructure in Arkansas. NIH awarded the grant to UAMS last year to form the network in collaboration with the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UAF) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR).

AR BRIN has three goals, including the goal to expand biomedical research opportunities for undergraduate faculty and students through collaborations with graduate research institutions in Arkansas. To obtain a summer fellowship, students complete an application, express their interest in research and select an area of research. There are several thematic research areas for students to choose from when they apply. Christina Barnes, a Chemistry major at Hendrix College, is excited about being a participant in the program. She said, "BRIN is great because it allows undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct some real research."

Besides increasing student exposure to research, the other objectives of BRIN are to increase the number of college and university faculty in Arkansas with active, funded research programs in biomedical science, and to increase the number of undergraduate students in Arkansas who pursue careers in biomedical science.

The AR BRIN Summer Mentoring Program is directed by Donald Bobbit, Ph.D., associate dean of Research, UAF, and Helen Benes, Ph.D., research assistant professor in Anatomy, UAMS. Lawrence Cornett, Ph.D., is director of AR BRIN.

SSDP in UAMS College Of Medicine

The Summer Science Discovery Program (SSDP) is offered by the UAMS College of Medicine through its Office of Minority Affairs. SSDP is a non-profit science enrichment program for at-risk students 6 to 12 years old. It is a collaborative effort with the Museum of Discovery at the River Market area in downtown Little Rock.

During the eight-week SSDP program, undergraduate college students, medical students, and classroom teachers design exciting, engaging science lessons for students enrolled in a math and science experience at the Museum of Discovery.

The program was developed to help meet the need for science education for school children. SSDP and the Museum of Discovery are co-presenters because of the success of UAMS’ educational outreach programs for junior high, high school, and college students and the hands-on science resources of the museum.

SSDP is a supplement to existing summer programs such as Our Club, Boy and Girl Scouts, YWCA and YMCA. The program director for SSDP is Raymond (André) Watson.