She can assist in finding tutors and resolving academic and personal issues, and also publishes a newsletter with items of special interest to SMI students. Nearly three quarters of SMI students enroll in the introductory biology class during their first fall semester on campus. For those students, the biology department's collaborative laboratory program, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, places them in contact with others who are enrolled in intermediate or advanced biology classes. As with the summer programs and other aspects of SMI, the collaborative labs create opportunities for students to learn from one another. Students of color had told us that when they were the only minority in a class they felt extra pressure.
Collaborative programs develop a community of support that has some real benefits.
Lovelace Cann '95, who has taken an extra year to add physics courses to her transcript, often studies with other SMI students. There is always someone there for you. As the first year progresses, SMI students seek out summer research assistantships with members of the science faculty. In the summer between their first and sophomore years, the SMI students work half time as paid research assistants on faculty projects. Many, like Nwosu, say it is the research that truly stimulates their interest in the sciences.