University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) together with Bunker Hill (BHCC) and Roxbury (RCC) Community Colleges seek renewal funding for our Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program. Based on the successes and strengths of our current program, we are adding a third partner ? MassBay Community College (MBCC) which expands the pool of underrepresented students participating in the program. Enhancing science education and student success, especially for underrepresented community college students, is a core mission of the four partner institutions. Since the Bridges Program was first implemented in 2007, 111 underrepresented community college students have participated: 83% have transferred to a four-year institution, of these 51% have earned BA/BS and 41% are still enrolled in a four-year institution. The goals of the program will be achieved by 1) increasing underrepresented students' awareness of careers in biomedical and behavioral sciences and giving them the confidence to succeed, 2) improving students' skills and knowledge in math, laboratory techniques, and scientific reasoning, and 3) increasing the number of underrepresented students who enroll in and successfully complete science courses at the partner community colleges, and who successfully transfer into the biomedical and behavioral science programs at UMB or other four-year institutions and earn bachelors degrees. Each year 21 underrepresented students from the partner community colleges (seven per partner) will participate. Eight activities are designed to prepare Bridges students for baccalaureate degree programs in biomedical and behavioral sciences: 1) assessment of students' needs, 2) orientation to objectives and expectations of the program and to scientific research, 3) intensive advising, 4) Facilitated Study Groups and academic tutoring, 5) Math Workshop, 6) Laboratory Skills Workshop, 7) Facilitated Student Success Seminar, and 8) mentored research experience. Performance of each activity has been fully reviewed each year and changes implemented to continually improve; we have a mature Bridges Program that has met almost all the goals proposed in 2007. However, there is still a critical need for our program. Greater Boston is a world leader in biomedical sciences, with hundreds biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as major universities and hospitals conducting cutting-edge research in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The non-white population of Boston has now reached majority status. Thus, it is imperative that Boston area institutions make it a priority to develop underrepresented students' interests and talents in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The Bridges partners have a history of collaboration, are committed to fostering underrepresented student achievement, and have committed resources to ensure the program's continued success.
The proposed Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program renewal is a collaboration between Bunker Hill (BHCC), Roxbury (RCC), MassBay (MBCC) Community Colleges and the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB). The BHCC-RCC-MBCC-UMB Bridges program addresses a significant need in the Greater Boston Area? increasing the numbers of underrepresented community college students transferring to baccalaureate degree programs in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. The proposed Bridges Program will impact the public health of the Greater Boston Area and the nation by increasing the numbers of underrepresented students who enter career paths in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.
| Lyons, Casandra; Raustad, Nicole; Bustos, Mario A et al. (2015) Incidence of Type II CRISPR1-Cas Systems in Enterococcus Is Species-Dependent. PLoS One 10:e0143544 |
