This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at Queensborough Community College will have a number of broader impacts with its focus on providing research opportunities to undergraduates to help prepare them for future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. The site focuses on providing research opportunities to students from community colleges who have had no prior research experience. The site has a strong plan to recruit students from groups underrepresented in physics. The project is guided by an evaluation that will assess how well the goals of the project are being met. This site can be a model for other community colleges. It is anticipated that the activities related to the REU site will encourage community college faculty to maintain their involvement in or become involved in research and to include their students in that research.
The REU site at Queensborough Community College provides opportunities to eight undergraduate students each summer for ten weeks of research on topics in physics education and physics, along with interdisciplinary projects in astronomy, biology and the geosciences. Additionally, four students will be selected to conduct research during the academic year. One of the goals of the REU site is to prepare the students to be competitive for transfer to a four-year college in a STEM discipline. In addition to participating in research with an experienced mentor, the students will engage in activities to ensure not only that their research stays on track but that they have an engaging collegial and scholarly experience. By the end of the program, every student will present the results of their work in a seminar talk.
