Candace Riehl was nervous before she began her freshman year because she was interested in science. The small high school she attended had a "good home ec program" and not much else.

"I didn't know much about science," said Riehl (sophomore-premedicine).

Students like Riehl can participate in a University program dedicated to promoting interest in science. Four years ago, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute donated $2.1 million to the Eberly College of Science to attract more students to scientific fields.

High school students who wish to participate in the program must prove an interest in science with teacher recommendations and good SAT scores and high school grades, said Tami Levitt-Gilmour, coordinator of the program.

Before enrolling in the program, students spend four weeks of the summer before their freshman year at the University attending lectures, learning lab techniques and meeting other students interested in science. The students receive free room and board and a $500 stipend, Levitt-Gilmour said.

"I felt so much more comfortable about coming here after I'd participated in the program," Riehl said.

Melissa Gates (sophomore-biology) agreed.

"It's great," Gates said. "You get to have one-on-one contact with your professors before your first semester at Penn State."

Levitt-Gilmour said the program gives students an opportunity to spend nine weeks during the summer assisting professors in their lab research. The students are paid $1,800, she said.

Aaron Goldstrohm will assist with research that may help find a cure for sickle-cell anemia as part of the program.

"It's an excellent program," said Goldstrohm (sophomore-molecular and cell biology). "It's been an important factor in my deciding to become a scientist and one of the main reasons I chose to come to Penn State."

Ross Hardison, professor of biochemistry and Goldstrohm's mentor, had nothing but praise for students in the program.

"They're all really bright and motivated people," Hardison said.

The program also emphasizes attracting women and minorities to what has traditionally been a male-dominated field. Levitt-Gilmour said the program has been more successful at attracting women than minorities.

The women who participate appreciate the effort.

"I worked with a female professor, and it was so good to have another woman as a mentor for a change," Riehl said.