“I’ve never been outside of Chicago before,” confided a student as our van approached Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He was one of five community college students visiting the campus for their upcoming summer internships as part of the Chicago-based Undergraduate Research Collaborative (URC) called STEM-ENGINES (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics - Engaging the Next Generation IN Exploring Science).
The URC works to introduce promising young scholars from a diverse community college student population to the thrills of modern scientific research and open the door to careers in science. By exploring new models that engage community college students in scientific research, we hope to encourage them to complete their associate of science degrees and transfer to a four-year school to complete a STEM degree. Such models have the potential to change students’ lives, improve scientific education, and strengthen the nation’s scientific workforce.
Our community college-based project, funded under the National Science Foundation’s URC program, is one of only five currently funded URC projects in the nation. More significantly, it is the only one headquartered at a community college rather than a university, which provides an opportunity for community college students, faculty, and administrators to take a leading role in increasing the number of students who pursue science, technology, engineering, and math degrees.
Why is it important to develop innovative ways to engage community college students in science? In 2005, the Business Roundtable predicted that if the United States were to maintain its position as the world’s most powerful and technologically advanced nation as well as remain competitive in the global economy, it would need to double the current number of science, technology, engineering, and math graduates by the year 2015—less than a decade from now.
By virtue of the size and diversity of their student bodies, this country’s community colleges are a rich source of untapped academic talent. Nationwide, community colleges educate almost half of all undergraduates, and this group is the most diverse student body with respect to age, financial status, and ethnicity. In addition, the number of students attending community colleges has increased by 14 percent between 1990 and 2000, with enrollment of underrepresented students increasing by 65 percent during the same time period. Most important, more than 40 percent of recent graduates in science and engineering attended a community college at some point.
Our general strategy of our STEM program is to identify students with an interest in and aptitude for science, with a special eye for the “diamonds in the rough.” Strong faculty mentorship plays a major role in the students’ experience, providing expertise, guidance, and support. For students who have never studied science before, this is essential. Further encouragement and support for this program comes in the form of stipends freeing students from part-time employment, and allowing them to work in the laboratory.
STEM-ENGINEs students are encouraged to begin undergraduate research as soon as possible, by doing lab-based research project supervised by a community college faculty member during the academic year. This is followed by a 10-week summer research experience at a baccalaureate institution. During this time students concentrate their full effort on research as well as become familiar with the culture and environment of a four-year institution to which they may eventually transfer.
References:
From "Report on Reports – National Reports, Project Kaleidoscope."
Adapted from Authentic Research Promotes the Growth of Community College Students as Scholars, Academic Leader, September 2007.
