California State University Los Angeles (Cal State LA) Los Angeles City College, East Los Angeles College, and Pasadena City College have established a very successful collaborative for developing the careers of talented community college science minority students. In the period since last review, 92% of the participating students that completed the program transferred to four-year institutions. We propose continuation of this effort that is making a significant impact on the entry of minority group members into biomedical research careers. We anticipate that at least 80% of the participating community college students will transfer to four-year universities in science majors. This is an ambitious goal as the transfer rate from these community colleges to four-year institutions is some 20% overall. The program we propose for continuation is deliberately designed to: 1) develop student skills in mathematics, basic sciences, and the English language as a foundation to high academic achievement in undergraduate majors in the natural sciences; 2) that students are motivated to careers the biomedical sciences through participation in solid research experiences and interaction with science faculty and other biomedical scientists, and; 3) that students are prepared for the transition from community college students to upper-division undergraduates at universities. Furthermore, we expect that at least 70% of those who transfer to Cal State LA and get further career development through participation in its MBRS-RISE or MARC U*STAR programs will continue to Ph.D. programs on graduation. Principal Investigator/Program Director (Last, first, middle): Tunstad, Linda
The overarching purpose of our Bridges to the Future effort is to increase the pool of well-prepared community college minority students who pursue biomedically-related majors, and significantly increase their rate of transfer to four-year institutions. This is the first step in a process that will prepare students for success in BS programs, and subsequently the PhD in the biomedical sciences. The proposed project will significantly increase the participation in biomedical research careers by underrepresented minority group members who begin higher education at community colleges, broadening the diversity of intellectual perspectives available to participate in the nation's biomedical research enterprise.
