Facilitating seamless transitions from community college to Towson University

摘要 一支才华横溢、多元化的生物医学队伍是确保创新和创新的关键 生物医学领域。该项目的目标是促进和维持多样化的 通过增加代表不足的少数族裔(URM)学生的数量来增加生物医学劳动力 从事生物医学事业的人。而城市管理学院的学生和其他人一样有可能进入大学 对于STEM专业的学生来说，他们毕业时获得STEM学位的可能性较小。学生的自然减员 从STEM专业毕业的学生在两年制院校(许多 与四年制院校相比，大学管理学院的学生人数更少。与这些趋势一致，48%的 汤森大学(TU)自然科学专业的入门化学学生被发现 在5年内完成自然科学学士学位；这一百分比 转校生的比例降至41%。该项目的目标是将URM学生从 巴尔的摩市社区学院(BCCC)和巴尔的摩县社区学院 (CCBC)促进TU或其他生物医学科学学士学位的完成 四年制院校，并提高学生在研究生教育和/或 生物医学研究职业。这一续订提案建立在过去成功的基础上，并实施了新的 赋权和激励参与的学生的策略。我们的目标是加强招聘工作 为了提高计划意识和吸引合格申请者参加计划， 为学生提供一个充满活力和支持的环境，以提高学生的转化率 从我们的社区大学合作伙伴到TU和其他四年制院校的学生，提供 具有在TU和研究生培训中取得成功所需的技能和能力的学生 职业，并将该计划与活跃的URM培训计划的强大渠道相结合，网址为 TU、BCCC、CCBC及其附属大学系统为马里兰学校提供了强大的 以少数族裔为重点的培训经验。这些目标将通过整合 独立研究经验，有强大的指导和研究和专业课程 技能发展与促进研究型课程的发展 社区大学的合作伙伴。在以往成功的基础上，这里提出的新倡议 包括加强社区大学合作伙伴的研究机会，以更好地准备 以培养学生在TU的研究经验为基础发展课程 社区大学合作伙伴的本科生研究体验(CURE)模块，以及 加强桥梁到文凭课程与其他少数群体的整合- 合作机构和马里兰大学系统的重点课程。

Summary A talented and diverse biomedical workforce is essential to ensure creativity and innovation in the biomedical field. The goal of this project is to promote growth and maintenance of a diverse biomedical workforce by increasing the number of underrepresented minority (URM) students who pursue biomedical careers. While URM students are as likely as others to begin college as STEM majors, they are less likely to graduate with a STEM degree. The attrition of students from STEM majors is acutely seen in students who begin college at two-year institutions (many of whom are URM students) than at four-year institutions. Consistent with these trends, 48% of Towson University (TU) natural science majors enrolled in introductory chemistry were found to have completed a bachelor’s degree in the natural sciences within 5 years; this percentage dropped to 41% for transfer students. This project targets the transition of URM students from Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) to facilitate baccalaureate degree completion in the biomedical sciences at TU or other four-year institutions and to increase student competitiveness for graduate education and/or biomedical research careers. This renewal proposal builds on past success and implements new strategies to empower and motivate participating students. We aim to enhance recruitment efforts to increase program awareness and the pool of qualified applicants attracted to the program, to provide a dynamic and supportive environment for students to increase the transfer rate of students from our community college partners to TU and other four-year institutions, to provide students with the skills and capacity required for success at TU and in post-graduate training and careers, and to integrate the program with the robust pipeline of active URM training programs at TU, BCCC, CCBC and affiliated University System of Maryland schools to provide a strong minority-focused training experience. These goals will be achieved by integrating an independent research experience with strong mentoring and courses for research and professional skills development along with fostering the development of research-based curriculum at the community college partners. Building on previous success, the new initiatives proposed here include strengthening research opportunities at the community college partners to better prepare students for the research experience at TU by fostering the development of course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) modules at the community college partners, and strengthening the integration of the Bridges to the Baccalaureate program with other minority- focused programs at partner institutions and within the University System of Maryland.