2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

National studies indicate that Black and Latinx students declare Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors at the same rate as their white peers, yet STEM degree completion rates for these students fall far below those of their white peers. Research identifies participation in undergraduate research programs as a positive driver for STEM degree completion, particularly intensive apprentice-style research experiences which have been shown to positively impact academic performance and persistence in STEM. Despite these well-established empirical benefits of undergraduate research, a striking number of STEM majors graduate without an authentic research experience. There have been many innovative efforts aimed at promoting innovative models of scaling undergraduate research experiences, yet access to research experiences continues to be limited at many institutions and community colleges, representing a unique opportunity for broadening participation in STEM careers through innovative approaches to offering these students research experiences. Creating strong (and mutually beneficial) partnerships between research-intensive universities and community colleges represents a promising bath forward for broadening access to research experience for community college students and broadening participation in STEM fields.

Community colleges remain an untapped resource of motivated, talented, and diverse students for the STEM workforce. Nearly half of all undergraduates begin their postsecondary studies at community colleges and in the US, more than 8 million students enroll annually in approximately 1,000 community colleges. As more students attend community colleges, strategies are needed to also increase their recruitment into STEM majors and eventually into STEM careers. However, many of our nation’s most promising students, including those with community college backgrounds, are leaving STEM degree programs for other fields. As the United States’ STEM workforce dwindles, it is critical we engage and retain STEM students.

In response to this opportunity, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC) for the Advancement of Technology for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio) has developed a summer research experience that meaningfully engages community college partners to broaden access to world-class research experiences for community college students. By creating local recruitment networks through reciprocal partnership building, we have drastically increased the participation from community college students in our summer research program. Furthermore, in 2023 we launched the ATP-Bio Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) boot camp, a two-day biopreservation boot camp at University of California, Riverside (UCR). The camp consisted of an introduction to the principles of biopreservation, an introduction to the ATP-Bio mission, structure, and research portfolio, a tour of UCR, lab tours, team-building and social activities. Here, we present early results on the impact of the REU Boot Camp on students' experience with the summer research program and highlight high impact practices for creating a sense of belonging among community college students participating in a summer research program.