19 min
RECCS pairs community college students with CIRES scientists CU On The Air Podcast
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- Education
Participants research STEM as they prepare to transition to four-year institutions
The Research Experience for Community College Students, or RECCS (pronounced Rex), is a paid summer research internship program at the University of Colorado Boulder open to all Colorado community college students. RECCS gives community college students an authentic research experience where they explore environmental or geosciences and gain the confidence to transition to a four-year program in the STEM disciplines. A CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) program, it was initiated by former faculty member and current Regent At-Large Lesley Smith.
RECCS students receive a weekly stipend of $600 to conduct field- or lab-based independent research over a nine-week period in the summer while working with a team of scientists, explained Alicia Christensen, program manager for program. They learn basic research, writing and communication skills, and they present their research at a local student science symposium.
“It has been running since 2014,” Christensen said. “We work with a variety of community colleges across Colorado, both in the Denver Metro area and also rural Colorado to bring community college students to campus and connect them with research mentors here at CU.”
In addition to the scientific endeavors undertaken by students, RECCS participants glean a wealth of experience through the program.
“Some of the professional development we did was around identity and science identity and what it’s like to come into the science culture at a four-year university,” Christensen said. “They were very brave in terms in being vulnerable and talking about some really tough subjects. In the end, I think these students are continuing to hang out and talk to each other after this experience.”
The typical cohort is about 10 students, she said. However, this past summer RECCS had 18 students. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Geological Survey and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education have been instrumental in external pairings.
“(Students) work on a variety of research topics related to atmospheric sciences, climate change, air quality and pollution,” Christensen said. “We also have a variety of students who will do more field-based experiences and ecology based projects.”
Students also participate in a professional development workshop through the summer with the help of program staff and some CU Boulder graduate students, she said.
“That’s really focused around helping the students understand how to synthesize the research that they’re doing into a scientific poster and also a formal conference presentation,” Christensen said. “They learn the skills required to communicate their science to a more general audience than those that are specific to their disciplines.”
Christensen said another aspect of the program that is imperative and unique is the importance of introducing racially and ethnically diverse students going into the sciences. “It is because it’s hard for them to feel welcome. And these programs, especially those focused around community college students, tend to be more ethnically and racially diverse,” she said.
Anne Gold, director of this year’s education outreach program, shared a sampling of how the program has changed these students’ lives.
“Prudence Crawm...
Participants research STEM as they prepare to transition to four-year institutions
The Research Experience for Community College Students, or RECCS (pronounced Rex), is a paid summer research internship program at the University of Colorado Boulder open to all Colorado community college students. RECCS gives community college students an authentic research experience where they explore environmental or geosciences and gain the confidence to transition to a four-year program in the STEM disciplines. A CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) program, it was initiated by former faculty member and current Regent At-Large Lesley Smith.
RECCS students receive a weekly stipend of $600 to conduct field- or lab-based independent research over a nine-week period in the summer while working with a team of scientists, explained Alicia Christensen, program manager for program. They learn basic research, writing and communication skills, and they present their research at a local student science symposium.
“It has been running since 2014,” Christensen said. “We work with a variety of community colleges across Colorado, both in the Denver Metro area and also rural Colorado to bring community college students to campus and connect them with research mentors here at CU.”
In addition to the scientific endeavors undertaken by students, RECCS participants glean a wealth of experience through the program.
“Some of the professional development we did was around identity and science identity and what it’s like to come into the science culture at a four-year university,” Christensen said. “They were very brave in terms in being vulnerable and talking about some really tough subjects. In the end, I think these students are continuing to hang out and talk to each other after this experience.”
The typical cohort is about 10 students, she said. However, this past summer RECCS had 18 students. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Geological Survey and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education have been instrumental in external pairings.
“(Students) work on a variety of research topics related to atmospheric sciences, climate change, air quality and pollution,” Christensen said. “We also have a variety of students who will do more field-based experiences and ecology based projects.”
Students also participate in a professional development workshop through the summer with the help of program staff and some CU Boulder graduate students, she said.
“That’s really focused around helping the students understand how to synthesize the research that they’re doing into a scientific poster and also a formal conference presentation,” Christensen said. “They learn the skills required to communicate their science to a more general audience than those that are specific to their disciplines.”
Christensen said another aspect of the program that is imperative and unique is the importance of introducing racially and ethnically diverse students going into the sciences. “It is because it’s hard for them to feel welcome. And these programs, especially those focused around community college students, tend to be more ethnically and racially diverse,” she said.
Anne Gold, director of this year’s education outreach program, shared a sampling of how the program has changed these students’ lives.
“Prudence Crawm...
19 min