To: From: Sent Subject: Neuroscience Summer Course for High School Students ail.combeevacation©gmail.comj: Jeffrey epsteinueevacationragmail.comj Sun 9/18/2011 11:26:30 PM As mentioned previously, we bring in young learners for 6 weeks in the summer to work directly in the neurosurgery labs with our faculty and spend time in the OR with our department. They learn skills like PCR, western blot, cryotome, etc plus basic didactics and interactions with our neurosurgery residents. Our faculty mentor the students 1:1. The students are fantastic but we've handpicked them these past few years so a little bit of a selection bias. We've just completed the formal preparation and submission of the application for NIH funding. Total costs per year about $85K (now) but we have reached a point where it would help to professionalize a little with a website, some on-line tutorials, homework (online), feedback and tracking. So I think we are looking at about $100K per year and looking for a 5 year commitment. I put in $10K every year personally, as does my chairman and we have raised the rest locally for a while but I don't like the "co-sponsors" to date. Anyway, I think it is solid, credible, FUN for kids (especially to come to the OR) and a great learning experience. We wanted to limit it to girls but there aren't enough girls so we have about 50/50 right now. Can you send you the NIH application (which is in university-formal-bureaucratic speak) that I think will be rejected because it is not super high priority program area at NIH. Can also get the team to prepare a shorter 3-4 page summary and note if you think this is something you would be interested in. It's really neat. This summer I was impressed by the kids. Very high quality. Email Skype IL EFTA_R1_00512925 EFTA02011363