Esther Bolding
EEC Division of Engineering Education and Centers
ENG Directorate for Engineering
Start Date:
April 1, 2005
Expires:
March 31, 2008 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:
$375000
Investigator(s):
Evelyn Hu hu@ece.ucsb.edu (Principal Investigator)
Liu-Yen Kramer (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:
University of California-Santa Barbara
Office of Research
SANTA BARBARA, CA 93106 805/893-4188
NSF Program(s):
HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
Field Application(s):
Program Reference Code(s):
SMET, 9250, 9178
Program Element Code(s):
1360
ABSTRACT
This REU-site grant extends a highly successful program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), which brings community college students from across California to engage in interdisciplinary research. This program, entitled "Internships in Nanosystems Science, Engineering and Technology" (INSET), expands opportunities for community college students, promoting their future academic and career success in science and engineering through multitiered mentorship. INSET program objectives are:
o To promote the successful transfer of a diverse cohort of community college students to the University of California, support their eventual degree completion, and encourage their pursuit of advanced degrees;
o To build a community of academic research mentors through campus-wide training workshops, forums and networking; and
o To enhance the capacity of UCSB and other research universities to support community college transfer students by disseminating the factors which contribute to their transfer and future success.
Intellectual Merit: The INSET program is hosted by the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), a research center established by the State of California, based jointly at UCSB and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). CNSI's focus on nanosystems looks to the richness of opportunities in forming new materials and complex systems by integrating nanoscale building blocks from both biological and electronic materials. Over 60 CNSI faculty researchers at UCSB represent disciplines ranging over the biological sciences, chemistry, chemical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, materials, mathematics, mechanical engineering, and physics. Interns performing research within the CNSI gain hands-on experience in the development of cutting-edge technologies that fall outside the boundaries traditional of science and engineering disciplines.
A critical factor in designing beneficial education opportunities for community college students is recognizing the unique needs and concerns of such students. INSET program evaluation, conducted jointly with the Graduate School of Education, surveys community-college research interns and university-student interns to identify differences in expectations, goals, motivations, personal gains and achievements. The findings of such research will be valuable for other programs and universities that aim to engage this highly under-served population.
Broader Impacts: Community colleges offer a significantly underutilized pool of talent for science and engineering disciplines. Community colleges serve a disproportionate number of underrepresented minority and female students, as well as a hugely disproportionate number of nontraditional students. INSET recruitment efforts build on established relationships with California community colleges that have sizable underrepresented and disadvantaged populations. Of the 45 students who have participated in the first 3 years of the INSET program, 42% were female and 42% were underrepresented minorities so INSET has extensive impact on the greater UCSB community. INSET enhances the effectiveness of mentorship through organization of training workshops, discussion forums and networking. Additionally, program staff take a leadership role in coordinating activities with several other UCSB undergraduate research programs during the summer, including a campus-wide undergraduate research colloquium. Nationally, this program will enhance the capacity of other institutions to support community-college transfer students by raising the profile of high-achieving community-college-student researchers, promoting successful university/community college partnership models, and disseminating INSET evaluation findings through publications and professional conferences.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
(Showing: 1 - 2 of 2).
Pak, D., Goodchild, F., Kramer, L-Y., and Flinck, A..
"Community College Interns in Materials Research: Evaluating a Nine-Year Research Internship Program for Community College Students,"
Journal of Materials Education,
v.27,
2005,
p. 53.
Stroumpoulis, D; Zhang, HN; Rubalcava, L; Gliem, J; Tirrell, M.
"Cell adhesion and growth to peptide-patterned supported lipid membranes,"
LANGMUIR,
v.23,
2007,
p. 3849
- 3856.
(Showing: 1 - 2 of 2).
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