Equitable, Accessible Short-Term Science Research for Two-Year College Students

This project aims to serve the national interest by expanding access to undergraduate research experiences across diverse STEM-interested student populations at two-year colleges. Traditional, eight- to ten- week residential research experiences that require students to move away from home for weeks at a time can present a significant challenge to research participation. It is therefore essential for the success of two-year college STEM students that alternative research pathways are developed and implemented broadly across the Nation. This project intends to leverage existing partnerships with nearby four-year research universities to create paid one- to two-week research experiences for two-year college students. Participation in short-term research experiences is hypothesized to increase the number of full-time or part-time two-year college students that are retained in STEM. Ultimately, this project intends to build a transferrable model for engaging two-year college students in STEM research that results in increased sense of belonging, growth mindset, and perseverance towards transferring and obtaining a bachelor’s degree in STEM. The goal of this project is to increase the number of STEM students experiencing authentic science research before transferring to their bachelor’s degree program. Specifically, the project aims to build on an existing program by creating new paid research opportunities at local universities for two-year college students. Four primary objectives will guide this project: 1) Foster partnerships with four-year universities that will host shorter duration undergraduate research experiences; 2) Design and implement a home institution sponsored research experience program for 15-30 students annually; 3) Develop and implement leadership and mentoring training for four-year college graduate assistants working with the undergraduate researchers; and 4) Host a research symposium for student researchers to present their work. The project's success will demonstrate an increase in retention in STEM majors and increased transfer rates for student participants. Assessment methods will be geared towards capturing growth in students’ sense of belonging in the science community, confidence level in a science laboratory, and the development of a growth mindset. An external evaluator will partner with the project team to provide both formative and summative feedback at regular intervals throughout the project. The results of the project will be disseminated to the two-year college STEM community via publications, presentations, and professional networks. The NSF program description on Advancing Innovation and Impact in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-year Institutions of Higher Education supports projects that advance STEM education initiatives at two-year colleges. The program description promotes innovative and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.