This project provides scholarships to able and financially needy students majoring in biotechnology, biology, and mathematics who transfer to four-year institutions or enter the workforce in life-science industries with a solid understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of biology and mathematics. Building on a record of successfully fostering STEM students by creating a learning community and providing intensive academic support, one-on-one mentoring, internships and research opportunities, the project is awarding approximately 125 scholarships and supporting four cohorts of scholars.
High school students with demonstrated academic potential and veterans are being recruited. Currently enrolled part-time students may be selected. An Advisory Board including faculty, administrators, students, government, and industry representatives advises the project management team. The project emphasizes supporting students through seminars, social media, student-faculty interaction, field trips to research labs and companies, and informal student interactions.
Intellectual Merit: The academic programs into which the students go are strong, and there are academic support activities. On-RAMP participants develop core competencies highlighted in 2010 AAAS "Vision and Change," including the ability to use quantitative reasoning, modeling and simulation, and an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of science. By developing students' fluency in mathematics and introducing the quantitative tools applied to life sciences, On-RAMP is taking advantage of opportunities created by the convergence of biotechnology, biology, and mathematics.
Broader Impact: On-RAMP addresses local industry and government agency demand for biotechnology and life-science employees who have quantitative or computational biology skills. Changing demographics dictate that the rich resources of the county's increasing ethnic and economic diversity be tapped. On-RAMP is increasing the number and diversity of students from underrepresented groups in biotechnology and mathematics. Seminar topics augment existing curricula, creating better alignment with that of four-year receiving institutions, and fostering the development of bioengineering, biology-based calculus, and biostatistics courses.
