| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 21, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 3, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1461281 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Luciana Astiz
lastiz@nsf.gov (703)292-4705 EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | May 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | April 30, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $335,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $335,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2016 = $121,938.00 FY 2017 = $119,192.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3100 MARINE ST Boulder CO US 80309-0001 (303)492-6221 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3100 Marine Street Room 479 Boulder CO US 80303-1058 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
The Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) in Critical Zone Science will engage ten Colorado community college students each summer in research projects on environmental sciences and will guide them from the project definition through its execution and final presentation to the scientific community. These students often have diverse backgrounds with respect to race, ethnicity, age, and income level, and they may be first-generation college students, veterans or, in Colorado, come from rural areas. Targeting diverse and non-traditional students in their first years of college will have a strong formative aspect with respect to career choices. The research environment of RECCS is designed to provide several layers of mentoring by scientists, professional development trainers and RECCS staff, as well as peer-group interaction, to instill a sense of belonging to the student cohorts. This structure will ensure that participants receive the support they need to succeed in their projects and to gain confidence in their scientific abilities and academic skills. The engagement of students from different community colleges will have a ripple effect on the students around them, hopefully inspiring other community college students to pursue science internships and other research experiences. Providing research opportunities and professional development training to community college students will help create a pipeline for students to move on to four-year colleges and possibly graduate school, which will increase the diversity of the STEM workforce. The success of the program will be measured through pre and post student interviews and surveys, including an annual reflection survey of program alumni. The impact of the program on the mentors will be assessed using a post-survey. Formative feedback will be collected throughout the program.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The goal of Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) in Critical Zone Science is to engage Colorado community college students through participation in authentic research in the geosciences and environmental science with the expectation that this research experience will guide participating students toward science degrees at four-year institutions. Roughly 51% of all students attending a 4-year institution (4YC) of higher education start their post-secondary education at a local community college (2YC), and these students tend to be diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, income level, and often include rural, first-generation college or veteran-status students. RECCS is one of the first Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) sites that specifically targets 2YC students. Colorado has sixteen 2YCs, and the RECCS program has had students from eleven of these colleges, many of them are in rural areas, participate.
Over the course of three years, thirty-one 2YC students were mentored through a 9-week research project overseen by preeminent Boulder-based scientists from the University of Colorado, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Geological Survey. They also received professional development skills and scientific communication training by RECCS and University of Colorado staff. As a capstone event, the students presented their results at a poster session hosted by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, as well as gave a short oral presentation on the CU campus. Rigorous evaluation of the students showed that participants gained knowledge in the geosciences or environmental science, increased their understanding of the scientific process, felt like they were scientists engaged in real-world science and felt included in the scientific community.
Out of the total alumni, twenty-three students have transferred to a 4YC: 7 (University of Colorado at Boulder); 4 (University of Colorado at Denver); 1 (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs); 4 (Colorado State University); 4 (Metropolitan State University); 1 (University of Denver); 1 (University of Northern Colorado); 1 (University of Wyoming) and 1 (University of Hawaii). Three students did not transfer to a 4YC due to financial constraints, and some are still attending community college. One alumna currently is attending graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver. Many of the alumni have presented their research at scientific conferences, such as the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America. One alumnus is a co-author on a publication in a prestigious scientific journal, Nature Microbiology. In summary, the RECCS program has been successful in preparing 2YC for the rigors of a 4YC STEM degree and has seen high retention and graduation rates of its alumni.
Last Modified: 05/08/2018
Modified by: Lesley K Smith
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