The University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) proposes to continue our training grant (which we have titled Baccalaureate Bridge to the Biomedical Sciences (ACCESS). This five-year grant renewal is for 2014-15 to 2018-19 AYs. It renews a consortium involving biomedical scientists at UCSC, the baccalaureate institution, engaged in a partnership with four Associate Degree (A.A.) institutions. Joining the research faculty from two different Science Divisions at UCSC are the AA partners from chemistry and biology at Cabrillo College (CC), Hartnell College (HC), Monterey Peninsula College (MPC), and Gavilan College (GC). The program Aims are: (1) To improve the success and confidence of underrepresented community college students through community college-based activities including Supplemental Instruction sessions and mentoring in introductory chemistry and biology courses. (2) To motivate first year community college science students through the Mini-Research Camp presented as a collaborative effort between Community College and UCSC faculty and staff. (3) To provide underrepresented minority students with a foundation of fundamental skills and experiences in an 8-week Summer Research Institute held at UCSC. (4) To use Leading-With-Research to optimize the retention and graduation rates of underrepresented minority ACCESS students who transfer to baccalaureate institutions. (5) To engage matriculated ACCESS students as peer mentors and use existing UCSC programs to enable their participation in academic year-based undergraduate biomedical research.
The elements guiding this project will address a national goal which is to remedy the under- representation of minority groups in science. We agree with a continuing stream of information showing that the best models for success directly connect science educators with underrepresented lower-division students. The mechanisms of this grant have UC Santa Cruz research/teaching faculty working alongside community college instructors as mentors for undergraduates who are still formulating their career choices and research directions. Our consortium now seeks a five-year competitive renewal of grant R25-GM051765 ongoing under the 'Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program.' The current proposal was prepared in response to the revised NIH RFA (PAR-13-333) and the program is called locally ACCESS. The plan for implementation is guided by five Aims and two are new for this renewal proposal. The short descriptors of these are: 1) improve success and confidence of underrepresented community college students, (2) motivate students through the Mini-Research Camp presented as a collaborative effort between Community College and UCSC faculty and staff, (3) provide research experiences via the 8-week Summer Research Institute, (4) use Leading-With-Research to optimize the retention and graduation rates, and (5) engage matriculated ACCESS students as peer mentors and extend their experience in upper-division research.
