REU Site: Advancing California Community College Students Through Engineering Research

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BROADER SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT:The federal government has forecasted that over the next decade the U.S. economy will need approximately one million more technical professionals than are being produced at the current rate. Increasing the retention of science and engineering majors from 40% to 50% alone would generate three-quarters of the targeted one million additional STEM degrees. The Transfer-to-Excellence Research Experiences for Undergraduates (TTE REU) program of the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) supports retention in STEM fields by offering hands-on research opportunities in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and robotics to increase the confidence and persistence of community college students in their pursuit of science and engineering education and ultimately technical careers. The program's three research areas have been chosen because they are economically-salient, offer many exciting research opportunities, and will resonate with community college students. The nine-week program brings 10 students per year from California Community Colleges (CCC), the largest community college system in the U.S., to UC Berkeley, where engineering faculty will host students in their world-class research laboratories and mentor them in their own research projects. TTE REU participants will also be trained in research protocol, laboratory safety, scientific ethics, and science communications. The program also provides students with transfer advising, and academic and professional development activities to better prepare them to complete a B.S. degree, pursue graduate studies, and succeed in a technical career.PROJECT DESCRIPTION:The Transfer-to-Excellence Research Experiences for Undergraduates (TTE REU) program of the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) aims to: 1) increase the number of community college students, particularly women and underrepresented minority students, who receive baccalaureate degrees in science and engineering; and 2) expand and diversify the pipeline of future graduate school students. To accomplish these objectives, the TTE REU program builds the research capacity of a diverse body of community college students through hands-on research in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and robotics and encourages them to continue their science and engineering studies and pursue STEM careers. Through generous support from the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) of the National Science Foundation, REU Site award EEC-1461157, students from California Community Colleges (CCC), the largest community college system in the U.S., will engage in leading-edge research, hosted and advised by the engineering faculty at UC Berkeley. The TTE REU program is integrated with the Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science an NSF Science and Technology Center based at UC Berkeley. The program enables its CCC students to participate in: 1) nanotechnology research on novel nanomaterials, innovative device concepts, and improving device performance in electronics, optoelectronics and sensors; 2) biotechnology research that advances the underlying science and enhances the research tools for advanced biofuels and bio-based chemicals production; and 3) robotics research on how robots can adapt to their environment and human-in-the-loop systems such as autonomous vehicles and tele-healthcare monitoring that integrate sensing, actuation, and control. In collaboration with UC Berkeley's Transfer Alliance Project, the TTE REU program provides academic advising and enrichment programs that prepare community colleges students to be competitive transfer applicants to 4-year colleges. The individualized academic and transfer advising continues for one academic year following the completion of the TTE REU.