Cal-Bridge: A California Bridge to Astronomy and Physics PhDs for California State University and Community College Students

Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc., Pomona CA

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) in their February 2012 report noted that "Federal agencies should encourage projects that establish collaborations between research universities and community colleges or other institutions that do not have research programs." In the 2010 Decadal Survey of Astronomy one of the top strategies to address the lack of diversity in astronomy and physics is "Partnerships of community colleges and minority serving institutions with research universities and with national centers and laboratories." Cal-Bridge is exactly such a program. The mission of the Cal-Bridge program, while open to all students who meet the selection criteria, is to increase the number of underrepresented minority (URM) and female students completing a bachelor's degree and entering a PhD program in astronomy, physics, or closely related fields. The program leverages an ideal set of institutions to address this national problem. The Cal-Bridge program comprises a diverse network of higher education institutions in southern California: 5 University of California (UC) campuses, 8 California State University (CSU) campuses, and 8 community colleges. By identifying and mentoring students through the critical transition from undergraduate STEM major to top-level PhD programs, Cal-Bridge will have a significant national impact on the number of underrepresented minority and female students obtaining a PhD in physics and astronomy, thus serving as a model for minority-serving institutions nationwide. The mission is achieved by providing intensive, sustained, joint mentoring of students by CSU and UC faculty, aimed at increasing the persistence of Cal-Bridge Scholars in completing their undergraduate degree, and successfully entering and completing a PhD program. The Cal-Bridge program will search for students with "untapped potential", using research-based criteria developed by successful bridge programs such as the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge program. The recruiting pipeline will be via the highly successful CAMPARE summer research program and its feeder schools. This NSF-funded program has in the past 5 years successfully provided authentic summer research experiences at world-class research institutions to a large number students from a network of 20 CSUs and community colleges, mostly Hispanic-serving institutions, all of which are part of the Cal-Bridge program. Official transcripts are collected quarterly for each student. Mid-term progress reports, annual surveys, participant interviews, data collection/statistical analysis are provided annually to the external evaluator. Continual formative feedback through the use of Mid-Term Progress reports ensures each student's progress and success. In addition there is summative feedback for annual review by the Steering Committee.