Pima Community College has received over $1,000,000 from the National Institutes of Health since 1993 to increase the number of under-represented minority students achieving bachelor’s degrees in the behavioral and biomedical sciences in Arizona.
PCC has used the grant to establish the Arizona Biology Network, a 10-week paid summer internship program that offers students research experience at the University of Arizona. Candidates for the program are chosen from all 21 community colleges, the three state universities, and San Juan College in New Mexico.
More recently, PCC has also announced plans to offer a two-year associate’s degree program and a one-year certificate program in histologic technology, the study of biology through microscopes. The program is receiving financial and in-kind support from Ventana Medical Systems and Tucson-area hospitals.
In addition, students pursuing a fast-track certificate program for direct employment will be able to apply to the Pima Count’s Community Services Department for scholarships. The program, the only one of its kind in the state, is part of an effort seeking to address a critical shortage of trained lab technicians.
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