The Environmental Leadership Pathway (ELP) project pairs the College of Natural Resources (CNR) at UC Berkeley and the Contra Costa College (CCC) to recruit underrepresented students to STEM disciplines and to prepare them for a successful transition to a four-year university. Over a 12-month period the project is providing academic enrichment, field and laboratory research and teaching experience, and direct financial support for 25 CCC students. Following completion of the one-year program, CCC students who successfully transition to Cal receive support to continue research on faculty-sponsored projects. Four core components comprise the ELP: (1) an intensive field program that introduces methods of scientific inquiry and empirical thinking; (2) an environmental science education component enlisting CCC and CNR students as educators in local high schools; (3) a case study course in which CCC participants work with CNR undergraduates to engage in interdisciplinary environmental science research projects; and (4) a two-month laboratory research experience that engages CCC participants as research assistants on CNR faculty sponsored projects to develop the students' field and laboratory skills. A webGIS platform facilitates communication between participants and archives digital records of ELP participant findings. For the long-term this project expects to facilitate the transition of an additional 40 students annually to 4-year baccalaureate programs in STEM disciplines. The intellectual merit of this project lies in its investigation of two kinds of complexity: the difficult issues that surround urban environmental and resource management, and the barriers to underrepresented groups' entry into STEM disciplines. Both issues are addressed by ELP's activities that make participation in scientific research real and relevant in underserved communities. The project's broader impacts are being felt through the opportunities for the CNR and CCC student communities to gain hands on experience in exploring and addressing resource and environmental problems in densely populated, coastal, multi-cultural environments. This approach models a cumulative suite of collaborative strategies for academic institutions to deploy in efforts to broaden participation in STEM programs and in environmental problem solving.
