Cuyahoga Community College's (Tri-C) application to the National Institutes of Health's Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program is being submitted with two university partners, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University. The continuing goal of Cuyahoga Community College's Bridges to Success in the Sciences program is to increase the number of underrepresented students who complete their science education at the community college level, transfer to and complete their science education at a four-year institution. Tri-C's Bridges to Success in the Sciences Program provides academic supports and activities designed to increase the success of underrepresented minority students studying in biomedical and behavioral science fields. Bridges will use a cohort model and specific research pathways for our students in the program. This approach assures continuity of the research experience throughout the students' participation in the Bridges program. Bridges students will be assigned to Research Mentors from our partner four-year universities. Over the term of grant, 50 students will work in the lab of the Research Mentor for a minimum of 15 hours a week during the academic year. Continuing summer research experiences will be available for all 50 Bridges students, working 25-30 hours in the labs of their assigned Research Mentors. Students entering the Bridges program at Tri-C will be paired with an experienced Tri-C Bridges Faculty Mentor who will advise the student and carefully monitor his/her academic progress throughout their tenure in the program. Bridges students, who have transferred to our four-year partner colleges, will be guided throughout their tenure by University Pathway Coordinators. Transfer Bridges students at the four-year partner institutions will also have a guarantee to receive either direct financial assistance through their Research Mentors or university scholarships after finishing the Tri-C Bridges program and until they graduate with their baccalaureate degree. In addition to typical course requirements, Bridges students will be required to complete the developed BIO 1806 Introduction to Research Methods course and a newly developed CURE (Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience) class and continue to attend the ?Laboratory Techniques and Practices? seminar series. The seminar series will be integrated into the existing framework of Bridges workshops, seminars and meetings, which provide additional training for students and allow for discussion about program operations and additional efforts to better meet the students' needs.
The relevance of the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program at Cuyahoga Community College is that it increases the number of underrepresented minority students who study in biomedical and behavioral science disciplines. Bridges students advance through the academic pipeline into graduate and postgraduate study and join the scientific research community.
