About the Program
Building Bridges Across Riverside Through Water Quality Research
United States Department of AgricultureCooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) Proposal 2006-03481
Program Directors:
Dr. Heather Smith,
Assistant Professor of Life Sciences,
Riverside Community College
Phone: (951) 222-8359
Email: heather.smith@rcc.edu
Dr. Sharon Walker,
Assistant Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering,
University of California, Riverside
Phone: (951)827-6094
Email: swalker@engr.ucr.edu
Website: http://www.engr.ucr.edu/~swalker/
Project Description
This USDA funded $294,000, three-year project will provide Riverside Community College (RCC) students from underrepresented backgrounds an experiential learning opportunity in cutting-edge water quality research and exposure to a four-year college environment at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). The intention is that this experience motivates students to pursue a career in science and engineering. The collaboration addresses the USDA’s priority for research in water resources and quality (Goal 5, Objective 5.2) and goal to expand and diversify the nation’s scientific work force. The outreach component involves Riverside residents from elementary school students participating in the Science Fair through students of all ages attending the seminar series.
Collaboration between RCC, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS), and UCR will be established. This collaboration will serve two critical purposes: 1) to involve RCC students in research occurring at UCR, and 2) to motivate and facilitate RCC student transfer to UCR. Top students from underrepresented backgrounds enrolled at RCC will be selected to participate in a research experience at UCR. The Building Bridges Across Riverside Through Water Quality Research project provides RCC students an experiential learning opportunity in cutting-edge water quality research and exposure to a four-year college experience at UCR. The intention is to motivate students to graduate from a two year institution (RCC) and transfer to a four year university (UCR) in the field of science and engineering. This directly addresses a goal of the USDA to enhance and diversify the Nation’s scientific and professional work force. In combination with the research project and regular interaction with the faculty, the RCC students will have informal research and career mentoring from a full-time USDA researcher at the USDA Salinity Lab (Riverside, CA) and from members of the UCR chapter of Society of Hispanic and Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). These components of the project have been developed to ensure retention and a seamless transfer for those RCC students successfully recruited to UCR through ongoing mentorship and outreach programs on the UCR campus.
It is the goal that as a result of this collaborative relationship between RCC and UCR, an increasing number of underrepresented students from RCC will transfer to UCR in the area of science and engineering. Although this project cannot solve the nation-wide problem of under-representation in science and engineering disciplines, it can make a considerable difference in the lives of the six RCC students, UCR participants, and the two Project Directors. Additionally, the outreach efforts will include RCC and UCR participants’ involvement in the annual Riverside Unified School District Science Fair and the establishment of a special award called the “USDA Future Environmental Scientists and Engineers Award”. These efforts will have an immeasurable long term impact on children throughout the Riverside area, by motivating them and rewarding them for their efforts in exploring the exciting world of environmental science and engineering.
The final outreach component of the project is the development of a seminar series in the area of Environmental Science and Engineering hosted at RCC. The RCC students participating in the research project, as well as students and faculty from UCR, will present their projects to the academic and general community. Indirectly this portion of the program will also impact innumerable students on the Riverside Community College District campuses who will hear about the research going on at UCR and also learn of programs to help them transition to 4-year colleges and participate in research. This will encourage them to seek out other similar educational programs suited to their goals and interests.
Project Impact
To expand the Nation’s scientific and professional work force in the area of food science and agriculture – a priority of the USDA – America’s academic institutions must recruit more students into science and engineering fields, and we must retain them through graduation. Equally important, we must diversify the ranks of America’s scientists and engineers. Today, women make up nearly half of the college-degreed workforce in America, but less than 25% of our science and engineering workforce (Science and Engineering Indicators, 2004). African-Americans account for only 6.9% of the science and engineering workforce, and Hispanics 3.2% – well below their representation in the college-educated population and the overall U.S. population. RCC and UCR are uniquely positioned to reach out to these underrepresented minorities, to help them succeed in science and engineering fields in college, and to advance them into careers and postgraduate studies. Riverside Community College (RCC) District is one of the most diverse districts in the state of California with 53% of our students from Hispanic, African American, or Native American backgrounds. RCC is a Title V school and is considered a Hispanic Serving Institution with 33.4% of our students from Hispanic origin. As noted in a study published by The Education Trust, a non-profit organization in Washington, DC, UCR is one of America’s most successful institutions for graduating underrepresented minorities (Carey, 2004). UCR’s overall graduation rate is 66%, and the graduation rate for underrepresented minorities is 68%, according to figures used in the study. While these figures leave ample room for improvement, they show that UCR’s minority graduation rate is roughly one-third higher than that of “peer institutions” of comparable size and makeup.
For more information contact Heather Smith (heather.smith-AT-rcc.edu, 951-222-8359) or Sharon Walker (swalker-AT-engr.ucr.edu, 951-827-6094).