Bridge RISE Supplement

EPCC、UTEP和NMSU之间的挑战之桥的目标是：1) 继续为有才华的EPCC学生提供在新生中取得成功和脱颖而出的工具 和二年级的生物、化学和数学课程；2)继续加强 EPCC学生和教职员工的研究知识和技能；以及3)增加 少数族裔和弱势学生转到四年制院校，拥有 必须获得学士学位，并最终获得生物医学领域的博士学位。 该计划为12名学生提供全年的研究实习机会，并以课程为基础 本科生研究经验(CURE)项目和补充指导。 在2020年春季学期，学生们处于完成治愈的不同阶段 当学院因COVID19大流行而关闭时的项目。大多数学生都能 处理数据并以各种格式呈现他们的治愈项目。但是，有必要为 很明显，这种疾病可能会再次爆发，学生们无法返回实验室。 参加全年研究实习的学生也受到了影响。EPCC的 政府继续监控州和地方订单以及疾控中心和德克萨斯州高等教育 教育协调委员会的指导方针，以确定2020年秋季将如何开设课程。 最有可能的选择是，科学课程将以混合模式提供，试图领先 在学期初安排最重要的面对面实验活动。出于这个原因，它是 对于开发虚拟课程模块至关重要，这些模块可以加快(或在需要时替换) 完成面对面治疗项目的关键方面以及加强和补充 为治疗课程的学生和个别研究实习生提供研究培训活动。 重要的是，必须努力减少一些学生和教职员工可能产生的焦虑。 体验回到校园后接触新冠肺炎的风险。为了 缓解这一过渡，确保教职员工和学生保持参与研究的积极性 对于项目，我们必须执行减少传播风险的程序。这包括 关于正确使用个人防护用品、社交距离、消毒程序和改善空气的培训 使用可以减少实验室循环空气中的病毒负荷的技术来提高质量。在……里面 此外，尽管参与治疗会增加学生的科学认同感 发展，治疗项目经常与学生所在的社区脱节 影响世界的现场和时事事件，如新冠肺炎大流行和出现 具有多重抗药性的生物体。 EPCC建议1)创建、实施和评估一系列创新的在线解决方案 这些模块侧重于新冠肺炎的科学和社会影响以及 抗菌素耐药性，2)生成现场测试模块的存储库，以及3)安装 针尖双极电离/紫外光空气净化装置在实验室进行固化研究 是为了减少循环空气中的病毒颗粒。活动的目的是(A)提供 具有基础研究技能(科学方法、安全、统计和研究)的学生 技术)；(B)让学生运用这些技能进行研究 定量/计算(如生物信息学)和定性(如社会科学和公共科学) 卫生)方法；和(C)使学生能够将其科学发现与更广泛的领域联系起来 西南边境地区的社会成果。考虑到有形和直接的个人影响 新冠肺炎大流行，以及多药耐药生物的出现，我们将 使用这些主要主题来框定我们建议的课程和联合课程活动。

The goals of the RISE to the Challenge Bridge between EPCC, UTEP, and NMSU are: 1) to continue providing talented EPCC students with the tools to succeed and excel in their freshman and sophomore-level biology, chemistry, and math courses; 2) to continue strengthening the research knowledge and skills of EPCC students and faculty; and 3) to increase the number of minority and disadvantaged students that transfer to a four-year institution with the skills necessary to graduate with a baccalaureate degree and eventually a Ph.D. in biomedical fields. The program provides year-round research internships for twelve students and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) projects and Supplemental Instruction. During the Spring 2020 semester, students were at various stages of completion of CURE projects when the College closed because of the COVID19 pandemic. Most students were able to process data and present their CURE projects in various formats. But the need to prepare for the possibility of another wave of the disease and students being unable to return to labs is evident. Students participating in year-round research internships were affected as well. EPCC’s administration continues to monitor state and local orders as well as CDC and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board guidelines to determine how classes will be offered in Fall 2020. The most likely option is that science courses will be offered in a hybrid modality, trying to front load the most critical face-to-face laboratory activities early in the semester. For this reason, it is critical to develop virtual curriculum modules that can expedite (or replace if needed) the completion of face-to-face critical aspects of CURE projects as well as enhance and complement research training activities for students in CURE courses and the individual research trainees. Importantly, efforts must be made to reduce the anxiety some students and faculty may experience with the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 upon their return to campus. In order to ease this transition and make sure faculty and students stay motivated to participate in research projects, we must implement procedures that reduce the risk of transmission. This includes training in the proper use of PPE, social distancing, disinfection procedures, and improving air quality using technologies that can reduce the viral load of circulating air in laboratories. In addition, and although participation in CUREs results in increases in students’ science identity development, CURE projects are often disconnected from the communities in which the students live and current events affecting the world such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms. EPCC proposes to 1) Create, implement, and evaluate a series of innovative online CURE modules that are focused on the scientific and societal impacts of COVID-19 and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, 2) Generate a repository of field-tested modules, and 3) Install Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization/uv air purification units in laboratories where CURE research takes place to reduce viral particles in circulated air. Activities are designed to (a) provide students with foundational research skills (scientific method, safety, statistics, and research techniques); (b) engage students in applying these skills to perform research using both quantitative/computational (e.g., bioinformatics) and qualitative (e.g., social sciences and public health) approaches; and (c) empower students to connect their scientific findings to broader societal outcomes in the southwest border region. Given the tangible and direct personal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the emergence of multidrug resistant organisms, we will use these overarching topics to frame our proposed curricular and co-curricular activities.