Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program at University of Colorado Boulder

PROJECT SUMMARY This Bridges to the Biosciences Research Training Program represents a new pathway to a baccalaureate degree in the biomedical sciences for transfer students from Front Range Community College (FRCC Westminster, FRCC Boulder County) to the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder). The training mission is to smooth the pathway for underrepresented minority (URM) students to earn their associate degree from FRCC, transfer to an R1 University (CU Boulder) and complete a baccalaureate degree with a research emphasis in a life science discipline that prepares them for biomedical research and professions. The Colorado Front Range, including Denver and Boulder, has a burgeoning biomedical and biotechnology economy with prolonged and steep growth in STEM employment. Yet fewer than 25% of Colorado students earn credentials that meet employer objectives. Colorado is the seventh largest Hispanic/Latinx-populated state in the United States, and the Front Range communities are diversifying rapidly. The need for a prepared STEM workforce is pressing, and Colorado has an under-tapped population of high-achieving community college students with diverse backgrounds and great potential to contribute to this workforce demand. FRCC and CU Boulder are ideal partners due to geographic proximity; high rate of transfer to CU Boulder STEM majors from across the state; significant percentages of URM, first-generation, and Pell eligible FRCC students; and high success rate of FRCC students achieving their associate degree. However, there is a relatively low rate of URM/underserved FRCC students who transfer to CU Boulder. Our institutions have built strong partnerships for the benefit of student educational advancement and career progression. Systemic benefits include 1) articulation agreements that provide a clear framework for successful transfer and timely progression to biomedical science baccalaureate degrees, and 2) guaranteed admission to CU Boulder for all first-time students who earn an associate degree through the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree Program. Our objectives are to 1) engage and recruit FRCC students; 2) build student belonging; 3) build students’ skills, science identity, and self-efficacy; and 4) expand career paths with greater workforce skills and/or preparation for professional schools. The “human bridges” of our B2B Program include faculty mentors, advisors, and peer/near-peer role models. This supportive community will engage early with FRCC students to ensure appropriate course progression and guide a rewarding research focus, thus nurturing, inspiring, and cultivating confidence in the trainees as they progress toward their baccalaureate degree. The research of CU Boulder’s best and most engaged life science faculty preceptors is intentionally broad to resonate with the diverse scientific interests and goals of the B2B trainees. Our overarching goal is to cultivate Colorado students from URM/underserved backgrounds in the biomedical sciences so that they will become drivers of scientific inquiries that lead to discoveries important to all communities.