LAWRENCE--To Yana Reid, college isn't just about getting a degree or securing a job - it's about fulfilling a lifelong mission.

Reid, a sophomore at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, grew up on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota, where the suicide, teen pregnancy and high school dropout rates were among the highest in the nation.

But like many other Native American students, she is determined to make sure these problems don't persist. Her goal is to get into graduate school at the University of Kansas and eventually educate other Native American students as a biology professor at Haskell.

"It's always better to have the education yourself, rather than trust someone else -- especially with your resources," she said.

While Haskell has expanded to include several four-year programs, it does not have the facilities to support research experiences for undergraduate students. But thanks to a collaborative effort between KU and Haskell, Reid and many other Native American students are able to gain invaluable research experiences in KU labs.

Through the 500 Nations Bridge program, Native American students have the opportunity to participate in paid research experiences in KU labs. The program also provides transportation to the KU campus. These incentives are meant to help encourage the students to pursue graduate work in the biomedical sciences, said Marigold Linton, director of American Indian Outreach at KU and co-principal investigator of the program.

The Bridge program is actually just one of several collaborative efforts between the two institutions. These programs have already received $6.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health. More importantly, such efforts between Haskell and KU may soon establish Lawrence as the premiere center nationally for math and science education for Native American students.

Now in its second year, the Bridge program has already connected 25 Haskell students with 30 KU professors, who act as mentors. The number of students is expected to triple by next fall, Linton said. The KU science community has been equally enthusiastic.

"To a person, every scientist I approached has replied, 'I've always wanted to have an opportunity to work with Haskell students. I would love to do that. Where do I sign up?'" she said.

But what makes the Bridge program even more special is that it has a broad definition of biomedical-relevant research, allowing students to participate in a wide variety of disciplines, Linton said.

"Biomedical-relevant research encompasses anything you can imagine that might relate to improving the health of individuals," she said. "So we have mentors in medical anthropology, in psychology, in speech communication and family studies, in social work in studies of violence, as well as all of the other disciplines we tend to think of as the hard sciences."

Reid's Bridge program experience helped her secure a part-time research job in KU's Natural History Museum's ichthyology lab, and it has given her a good indication of what she can expect in graduate school.

George Godfrey, vice president of academic affairs at Haskell, said programs like the Bridge program also go a long way toward empowering Native American students by helping them address concerns that directly affect their lives.

"The Bridge program allows Native American students to see how they can contribute to their people through biomedical research," he said. "Students often enter Haskell not realizing that they can become scientists. They often lack exposure to research careers and how to become a scientist."

Both Haskell and KU collaborators view this exchange as a two-way street, Godfrey said. "This program can help strengthen Haskell's existing math and science programs, while KU can strengthen its cultural awareness through this and other collaborations."

Jerry Briscoe is another Native American student who is taking advantage of what these two worlds have to offer.

Briscoe, Haskell sophomore, is working in the lab of Diane Loeb, associate professor of Speech-Language-Hearing at KU. He is helping her conduct research to determine if standardized tests for elementary school children are culturally biased. Briscoe said he hopes to build on this experience and pursue a master's degree in speech pathology at KU. Ultimately, he said, he hopes to apply the knowledge he gains by working with Native American children on a reservation.

"The Bridge program just opens up other doors and gives students many opportunities to see what's out there," he said.

Although it will be a while before they can determine the success of placing Native American students in biomedical-related graduate programs, Linton said she has already seen it make an immediate impact on the students.

"It's amazing to see somebody who has made the life-changing decision to become a scientist, and we hope to see dozens more of these students make that decision over the course of the grants," Linton said.

Reid, meanwhile, said she encourages her friends at Haskell to join the Bridge program, and her experience working in a KU lab has put her one step closer to reaching her goal.

"I can't foresee myself pursuing science as a career and not using that as a way to elevate people from my tribe - or any tribe," she said. "That's a very strong conviction I have."