Cal-Bridge: A California Bridge to Astronomy and Physics PhDs for California State University and Community College Students

美国总统科学与技术顾问委员会(PCAST)在2012年2月的报告中指出，“联邦机构应鼓励研究型大学与社区学院或其他没有研究项目的机构之间建立合作关系的项目。”在2010年的《天文学十年调查》中，解决天文学和物理学领域缺乏多样性问题的首要战略之一是“社区学院和少数族裔服务机构与研究型大学以及国家中心和实验室结成伙伴关系”。Cal-Bridge就是这样一个项目。Cal-Bridge项目的使命，虽然对所有符合选择标准的学生开放，但旨在增加未被充分代表的少数族裔(URM)和女性学生的数量，这些学生完成学士学位并进入天文学、物理学或密切相关领域的博士课程。该计划利用一套理想的机构来解决这一全国性问题。Cal-Bridge项目包括南加州多样化的高等教育机构网络：5个加州大学(UC)校区、8个加州州立大学(CSU)校区和8个社区学院。通过从本科STEM专业到顶级博士项目的关键过渡过程中识别和指导学生，CAL-Bridge将在全国范围内对获得物理学和天文学博士学位的少数族裔和女性学生的数量产生重大影响，从而成为全国少数族裔服务机构的典范。使命是通过由CSU和加州大学教师提供密集、持续、联合的学生指导来实现的，旨在提高CAL-Bridge学者完成本科学位的持久性，并成功进入并完成博士项目。加州桥项目将使用由成功的桥项目(如菲斯克-范德比尔特硕士到博士桥项目)制定的基于研究的标准，寻找具有“未开发的潜力”的学生。招聘渠道将通过非常成功的CAMPARE暑期研究项目及其支线学校进行。在过去的5年里，这个由NSF资助的项目成功地为来自20个CSU和社区学院的大量学生提供了世界级研究机构的真实暑期研究经验，这些学生大多是为拉美裔服务的机构，所有这些机构都是加州桥项目的一部分。每个学生的正式成绩单每季度收集一次。每年向外部评价人员提供中期进度报告、年度调查、与参与者面谈、数据收集/统计分析。通过使用中期进度报告进行持续的形成性反馈，确保每个学生的进步和成功。此外，还有供指导委员会进行年度审查的总结性反馈。

PROJECT ABSTRACTThe President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) in their February 2012 report noted that "Federal agencies should encourage projects that establish collaborations between research universities and community colleges or other institutions that do not have research programs." In the 2010 Decadal Survey of Astronomy one of the top strategies to address the lack of diversity in astronomy and physics is "Partnerships of community colleges and minority serving institutions with research universities and with national centers and laboratories." Cal-Bridge is exactly such a program. The mission of the Cal-Bridge program, while open to all students who meet the selection criteria, is to increase the number of underrepresented minority (URM) and female students completing a bachelor's degree and entering a PhD program in astronomy, physics, or closely related fields. The program leverages an ideal set of institutions to address this national problem. The Cal-Bridge program comprises a diverse network of higher education institutions in southern California: 5 University of California (UC) campuses, 8 California State University (CSU) campuses, and 8 community colleges. By identifying and mentoring students through the critical transition from undergraduate STEM major to top-level PhD programs, Cal-Bridge will have a significant national impact on the number of underrepresented minority and female students obtaining a PhD in physics and astronomy, thus serving as a model for minority-serving institutions nationwide.The mission is achieved by providing intensive, sustained, joint mentoring of students by CSU and UC faculty, aimed at increasing the persistence of Cal-Bridge Scholars in completing their undergraduate degree, and successfully entering and completing a PhD program. The Cal-Bridge program will search for students with "untapped potential", using research-based criteria developed by successful bridge programs such as the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge program. The recruiting pipeline will be via the highly successful CAMPARE summer research program and its feeder schools. This NSF-funded program has in the past 5 years successfully provided authentic summer research experiences at world-class research institutions to a large number students from a network of 20 CSUs and community colleges, mostly Hispanic-serving institutions, all of which are part of the Cal-Bridge program.Official transcripts are collected quarterly for each student. Mid-term progress reports, annual surveys, participant interviews, data collection/statistical analysis are provided annually to the external evaluator. Continual formative feedback through the use of Mid-Term Progress reports ensures each student's progress and success. In addition there is summative feedback for annual review by the Steering Committee.