An Unanticipated Outcome of Undergraduate Research Experiences for Community College Students: Creation of a Materials S
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An Unanticipated Outcome of Undergraduate Research Experiences for Community College Students: Creation of a Materials Science and Engineering Educational Program Bartlett M. Sheinberg West Houston Center for Science and Engineering Houston Community College, 2811 Hayes Road, Houston, TX 77082 ABSTRACT Since 2005 the West Houston Center for Science & Engineering (WHC) has provided opportunities for select cohorts of community college students to participate in summer research experiences. Participating research institutions include regional universities, NASA-JSC and Sandia National Laboratories (NM). Research activities cross numerous engineering, physical and biological sciences, and computational disciplines, and have been supported by federal agencies and corporate/educational foundations. These experiences have generated three important outcomes: (1) Providing significant motivation for students regarding university transfer and completion; (2) Generating realistic expectations for students regarding completion of their undergraduate degrees, and transitioning into the science and engineering workforce and/or graduate school; and, (3) Providing support for the creation of a formal materials science educational program at the West Houston Center. This paper describes the influence and impact that the Materials Research Society, through its members, conferences, and working committees, has contributed to the transition of the West Houston Center as it moves from a broad based science and engineering educational center to one with a concentration on materials science. INTRODUCTION: This paper is presented in four sections: 1. Overview and Background a. Community Colleges and Houston Community College b. The West Houston Center for Science and Engineering (WHC) c. The Undergraduate Science Research Experience (USRE) program 2. Structure, Outcomes and Impacts of the USRE program and 3. Impact of the Materials Research Society 4. Conclusion Community Colleges, Houston Community College, the West Houston Center and the Undergraduate Science Research Experience
As noted in the 2014 National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Indicators report [1], community colleges have an increasingly important role as providers and points-oforigin to higher education for an increasingly economically and demographically diverse group of young men and women, many being first generation college attendees, veterans, and from underrepresented minority populations [2]. These student populations represent an untapped talent pool of science and engineering bound students seeking direction, structure, acknowledgement of their talents [3], and guidance in selecting an academic and career pathway. Employers and educators continue to establish partnerships and collaborations to assess test and
implement various strategies and tactics to provide stewardship for these students based upon student higher education and workforce options [4, 5]. HCC1 is a designated Minority Serving Institution (MSI) with a fall 2014 student enrollment of
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