The Orange County Bridge to Biomedical Research program will address the problem of low transfer rates among minority community college students, specifically as it applies to transfer students in the biological sciences, and will increase the number of well-prepared minority students who pursue biomedical-related science majors, advanced degrees and careers. The Program has been formulated to help underserved community college minority students overcome the barriers that have traditionally hindered their pursuit of careers in biomedical research fields of study; 2) lack of research experience to better qualify them for acceptance into a high quality university for their bachelor's degree; 3) lack of understanding of the transfer process; and 4) limited academic achievement and high attrition. Through this effort, 24 minority community college students will have the opportunity to gain experience working in a major university research laboratory while completing lower division course requirements for an undergraduate degree. In addition, the program will provide participants with training, mentoring, monitoring of academic progress and other support to increase the likelihood that they remain in college, transfer and complete their degree(s). The partners in this program are the University of California at Irvine (UCI) and two community colleges, Rancho Santiago College (RSC) and Orange Coast College (OCC). These three institutions are located within 10 miles of each other. Both community colleges serve large numbers of disadvantaged, minority students. RSC is designated by the United States Department of Education as an Hispanic-Serving Institution. OCC is distinguished by a strong academic program that has traditionally transferred the largest number of southern California students to four-year institutions. The University of Californai at Irvine is a major research institution that has developed model programs to recruit and retain minority undergraduates.
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