EMCC-MSU Bridges to Baccalaureate Degree Program

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Summary The EMCC-MSU Bridges to Baccalaureate program is a partnership between Mississippi State University (MSU) and East Mississippi Community College (EMCC). This collaboration provides research experiences, supplementary learning activities, and career guidance for underrepresented minority (URM) and economically disadvantaged (ED) students as they work towards a baccalaureate degree in the biomedical or behavioral sciences. The primary goal of the program is to increase the numbers of students from the targeted backgrounds who successfully obtain a four-year degree in a biomedical/behavioral field. Secondary goals are to increase the number of students from this population who will seek advanced degrees in these fields and who seek employment as biomedical/behavioral researchers. The EMCC-MSU Bridges program is located in a rural region of Mississippi with large African American and impoverished populations as well as an abundance of health disparities and paucity of medical researchers. However, this regions has also recently shown promising signs for an economic recovery. Therefore, the EMCC-MSU Bridges program is in an ideal position to recruit from the URM and ED student population at EMCC early during the first year of college and encourage participation through a Biomedical Skills Boot Camp and through MSU faculty research seminars. Applicants from URM and ED backgrounds are selected on a competitive basis and immediately begin receiving supplemental career advising that will continue through their senior years along with access to online tutoring services for gateway science courses. Selected EMCC students then attend a ten-week Summer Research Experiences paid internship in a faculty-mentored research setting at MSU. The summer program includes weekly supplemental courses targeting the improvement of study skills, professionalism, communication and basic science skills. Weekly active learning workshops will also be included in the summer program at MSU along with journal club- style seminars addressing current science topics and responsible conduct in research. Paid research experiences then continue for one year after transfer to MSU for select trainees, and trainees will be encouraged to continue their research for a fourth year through one of MSU's internal funding mechanisms for undergraduate researchers or through course credit for independent study. In either case, career navigation assistance is continued until each student graduates. Yearly trainee competition in an undergraduate research symposium at MSU in encouraged and the program also supports student travel to national conferences for presenting their Bridges supported-research.