Effective Strategies for Engaging Community College Students in Research via Cutting-Edge Technology

As we train the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) researchers, it is imperative that we expand our recruitment to community college students. Many of these students are highly motivated and extremely talented, but they often lack exposure to cutting-edge technology found at R1 institutions, much less have the opportunities to participate in original research. The Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) at the University of Southern California (USC) started a community college research internship summer program in 2013. The nonresidential and residential programs combined so far have trained 60 students in the biogeosciences, with 46 of them having transferred to 4-year institutions and 95% remaining in STEM fields. Their introduction to and acquired competence in several advanced technologies have further prepared these students to pursue graduate degrees and rewarding careers in research-based STEM fields.