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We developed a collaborative educational strategy to actively engage students from underrepresented minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the study of ethnobotanical knowledge and practices of Dominicans in New York City and the Dominican Republic. Three Dominican students from Hostos Community College in New York City were taught basic botany in preparation for their training as research assistants in an ongoing Dominican ethnomedicine project at The New York Botanical Garden. The aim of this internship was to teach appropriate research skills while raising awareness and promoting cultural appreciation of Dominican and Latino health traditions. Students were selected based on their academic achievements and potential, their interest in learning more about Dominican culture and traditions, and their bilingual (English-Spanish) skills. At the end of the six month internship period the students were competent in basic botanical identification techniques, plant collection methodology, ethnobotanical interviewing, as well as research data management, and expressed increased awareness of the richness of Dominican medicinal plant knowledge. The inclusion of underrepresented minority students enrolled in community colleges in ethnobotanical research can contribute to safeguarding cultural traditions, especially in urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]