REU Site: Advancing California Community College Students Through Engineering Research

该项目的更广泛意义：联邦政府预测，在未来十年，美国经济将需要比目前培养的专业技术人员多大约100万。仅将科学和工程专业学生的保留率从40%提高到50%，就能产生100万额外STEM学位目标的四分之三。加州大学伯克利分校（UC Berkeley）的本科生卓越研究经验转移（TTE REU）计划通过提供纳米技术、生物技术和机器人技术方面的实践研究机会，支持在STEM领域的保留，以增强社区大学生在追求科学和工程教育以及最终技术职业方面的信心和坚持。之所以选择该计划的三个研究领域，是因为它们在经济上很突出，提供了许多令人兴奋的研究机会，并将与社区大学生产生共鸣。这个为期九周的项目每年将有10名来自美国最大的社区学院系统——加州社区学院（CCC）的学生来到加州大学伯克利分校，工程学院将在其世界级的研究实验室接待学生，并指导他们进行自己的研究项目。TTE REU的参与者还将接受研究方案、实验室安全、科学伦理和科学传播方面的培训。该计划还为学生提供转学建议，以及学术和专业发展活动，以更好地为他们完成学士学位，攻读研究生课程，并在技术职业生涯中取得成功做好准备。项目描述：加州大学伯克利分校（UC Berkeley）的本科生卓越研究经验转移（TTE REU）计划旨在：1)增加获得科学和工程学士学位的社区大学生，特别是女性和少数族裔学生的数量；2)扩大和多样化未来研究生的培养渠道。为了实现这些目标，TTE REU项目通过在纳米技术、生物技术和机器人技术方面的实践研究，建立了一个多元化的社区大学生群体的研究能力，并鼓励他们继续他们的科学和工程研究，追求STEM职业。通过美国国家科学基金会工程教育和中心部（EEC）的慷慨支持，REU网站授予EEC-1461157，来自美国最大的社区学院系统加州社区学院（CCC）的学生将参与由加州大学伯克利分校工程学院主持和指导的前沿研究。TTE REU项目与位于加州大学伯克利分校的美国国家科学基金会科学技术中心的节能电子科学中心整合在一起。该项目使其CCC学生能够参与：1)新型纳米材料的纳米技术研究，创新器件概念，提高电子，光电子和传感器的器件性能；2)生物技术研究，推进基础科学，增强先进生物燃料和生物基化学品生产的研究工具；3)机器人技术研究机器人如何适应环境和人在环系统，如自动驾驶汽车和集成传感、驱动和控制的远程医疗监测。TTE REU项目与加州大学伯克利分校的转学联盟项目合作，提供学术建议和丰富课程，帮助社区大学学生成为有竞争力的四年制大学转学申请者。在完成TTE REU后，个性化的学术和转学建议将持续一学年。

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.