The VCU Bridges to the Baccalaureate: Dream to Goal (DTG) Program, initiated in 2013, is an integrated student development, teaching, learning, and research training program with partners Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC), and John Tyler Community College (JTCC). This faculty- driven program builds on our successes and experience gained, and seeks to influence larger institutional and system-wide changes. Our goals are to improve academic preparation and success of community college Biology students from underrepresented (UR) groups, to augment UR STEM transfer and graduation rates, and ultimately, to increase diversity in the biomedical/ behavioral sciences. Specifically, we aim to: 1) Nurture talented UR STEM community college students who are interested in biomedical/ behavioral research careers, by enriching the pre-transfer preparation component of the 8-week DTG Summer Research Program, providing an optional 2-week extended Research Enrichment Internship, and encouraging/facilitating post-transfer research activity; (2) Expand post-transfer support for DTG participants by developing an integrated support program for DTG Scholars who transfer to VCU, and a ?handover network? for DTG Scholars who transfer to other universities in Virginia; (3) Co-develop and disseminate Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) modules for a VCCS general biology course (Bio 101 General Biology I), to be integrated into all sections of this course taught at TNCC and JTCC; evidence-based teaching innovations will be disseminated to the VCCS community and beyond. Measurable outcomes for each of these aims are consistent with NIH goals for the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program ?to increase the pool of community college students who go on to research careers in the biomedical sciences and will be available to participate in NIH-funded research?. This project leverages other NIH-funded research training programs for UR STEM students at VCU.
The proposed project addresses disparities in academic preparation, academic, advising, and social support, and early research opportunities for students from underrepresented groups who begin their secondary education at community colleges and are interested in the biomedical/behavioral sciences.
| Aragon, Mario J; Topper, Lauren; Tyler, Christina R et al. (2017) Serum-borne bioactivity caused by pulmonary multiwalled carbon nanotubes induces neuroinflammation via blood-brain barrier impairment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:E1968-E1976 |
