When a two-inch damselfly buzzed the upper deck of RiverQuest's Discovery research and education vessel on the Ohio River yesterday, Alexis Carter and William Tolliver jumped out of the way.

Alexis, who graduated from Pittsburgh Allderdice High School and will be a freshman at Clarion University this fall, and William, an 11th-grader at Pittsburgh Schenley High School, wished they were somewhere else. The surprise is where that somewhere else was.

Even though there was sunshine glinting off Pittsburgh's green rivers and a cool breeze rippling the surface, the two would have rather been in their bug-free research labs. For Alexis, that would be the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health in the Pittsburgh Technology Center along Second Avenue, and for William, the Magee-Womens Research Institute on Craft Avenue, both in Oakland.

"I can cut open a body but I don't mess with bugs," said William, 16. His lab work involves slicing into the lungs of mice as part of a research project aimed at lessening health impacts of ventilator-induced lung injuries that affect 190,000 hospital patients a year.

Alexis, 17, who also doesn't like "bugs flying at me," also is working with mice, but live ones in a maze, as part of a research program designed to find drugs that will treat the memory problems of Alzheimer's disease.

William, who wants to be a medical examiner, and Alexis, who is targeting a career in research or biomedical engineering, are two of the six inner-city students who are participating in the University of Pittsburgh's first Short Term Education Experience for Research course this summer.

The 10-week program, aimed at encouraging disadvantaged students to consider careers in biomedical research and environmental health science, is funded through five years by a $300,000 grant from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences and is one of 10 such programs at universities around the county.

"The population of environmental health sciences is unpredictable and this program is a chance to create a pipeline to future health sciences careers," said Dr. Bruce Pitt, professor and chairman of the Environmental and Occupational Health Department at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health.

"We're going to run out of good people if we don't reach down," said Dr. Pitt, who applied for the NIEHS grant and is the program leader. "All of these kids are very bright. We need this kind of pathway to connect to these sorts of jobs. Many don't have a good idea of the opportunities in public health."

To be admitted to the program, students submitted grade transcripts, a letter of recommendation and had to write a personal letter of interest. The six were selected from about 60 applicants.

"I want to do something in science or the medical fields but I'm not sure what exactly. This gives me the experience to make a decision," said Megan Ziegler, 16, of Overbrook, who will be an 11th-grader at Pittsburgh Carrick High School this fall and has been working on research into lung damage caused by airborne silica. "Before, I didn't realize all that researchers did. This has opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities."

Rayshawn Pritchard, 18, of the North Side, a recent graduate of Pittsburgh Oliver High School, will attend Robert Morris University in the fall for nursing. But he eventually wants to be a general practitioner. He's been working on research to reduce the effects of hypertension on pregnant women, which can restrict the flow of blood to their fetuses, cause low birth weights and, in extreme cases, kill both mothers and their children.

"I'm running tests on different drugs to see if they can relax the blood vessels of mice," said Mr. Pritchard, whose career choice was inspired by his mother, who has had multiple heart attacks. "This course shows me what's available in the medical field."

In addition to the lab work, which occupies 90 percent of the course time, students attend medical health and science research seminars. On four days the students board RiverQuest's research vessel to analyze water samples, see how the rivers are used and learn about the freshwater ecology and environmental health.

Yesterday's focus was on "green" buildings -- including the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Alcoa headquarters on the Allegheny River, and the PNC Firstside Center along the Monongahela River.

"This is a new experience on the river and it's good to learn that the rivers are cleaner and healthier, but also what's in the water," said 16-year-old Ricki Scott of the North Side, who will be in the 11th grade at Pittsburgh Perry High School in the fall and has spent the summer studying the lung damage caused by nickel air pollution.

"I've been able to learn how research is actually done, the procedures, and that has inspired me to keep going on. I like the hands-on experience," said Ricki, who wants to be a physical therapist or sports doctor.

Christopher Price, 15, of Friendship, who will be a junior at Pittsburgh Peabody High School in the fall, knows he wants to be a doctor but was unsure about the research end. Now he's doing chemical measurements of rat brain tissue in another Alzheimer's disease research project directed by Dr. Valerian Kagan, a professor and vice chair of Pitt's Environmental and Occupational Health Department.

"I didn't know what to expect going in but things turned out pretty good," Christopher said. "There should be more programs like this where students can do the lab work but also meet people and make connections."