Promoting STEM Research to College Freshmen and Sophomores

该项目部分支持南加州本科生研究会议（SCCUR）。这个一年一度的活动吸引了来自四年制大学、两年制学院和一些高中的大量不同群体的学生和教师，以口头和海报的形式展示本科生的研究和学术活动。NSF的支持是降低所有学生的注册费，为多达60名经济困难的学生提供免费注册，支持评估活动，并为参加活动的一组有兴趣撰写建议以提高学生在STEM中的成功和保留的教师提供后续研讨会。参加会议有望鼓励来自2年制和4年制院校的STEM教师团体寻求建立本科生研究和其他合作项目的伙伴关系，以帮助更多学生在他们的机构中取得STEM成功。SCCUR是美国最大的多学科区域性会议之一。SCCUR于2011年首次在社区学院亮相，为公众、有能力在STEM领域取得成功的大学预科学生以及代表性不足的少数族裔社区提供了一个独特的机会（SAC是联邦政府指定的西班牙裔服务机构）。这次会议让公众了解南加州学生所进行的创新科学和技术研究，并让家长和家庭意识到年轻人在中学后STEM教育中的机会。

This project is partially supporting the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR). This annual event attracts a large diverse group of students and faculty from four-year institutions, two-year colleges, and some high schools for oral and poster presentations highlighting research and scholarly activity performed by undergraduate students. NSF support is reducing the registration fee for all students, providing free registration for up to 60 financially disadvantaged students, supporting evaluative activities, and providing a follow-up workshop for a group of faculty attending the event who are interested in writing proposals to improve student success and retention in STEM. Participation at the conference is expected to encourage groups of STEM faculty from 2- and 4-year institutions to pursue establishing partnerships for undergraduate research and other collaborative projects to help more students succeed in STEM at their institutions. SCCUR is one of the largest broadly multidisciplinary regional conferences in the United States. The SCCUR's first appearance at a community college in 2011 represents a unique opportunity for outreach to the public, to pre-college students capable of succeeding in STEM fields, and to underrepresented minority communities (Mt. SAC is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution). This conference engages the public about the innovative science and technology research that students in Southern California perform, and makes parents and families aware of the opportunities for young people in postsecondary STEM education.