Discipline: Physics
Subcategory: STEM Science and Mathematics Education
Tim Usher - California State University, San Bernardino
Co-Author(s): Alec M. Sim, Irvine Community College Joseph C. Farmer, College of the Desert Michael S. Butros, Victor Valley College
As part of a NASA-CIPAIR grant and a NSF-CREST grant, we initiated several innovative activates that have greatly strengthened the ties between three two year colleges (TYC), three 4yr+ universities and a NASA Center. One of the innovations has been given the moniker, ‘winternships.’ These are three to four week research ‘boot camps’ conducted at TYCs during the winter break. The students work in teams on research projects. The timing of the winternship corresponds with the open application timeframe for summer research internships at, NASA, National Labs, and REU programs. Students are required to apply for at least three of these internships. Furthermore, having worked with the students closely TYC faculty can provide letters of recommendation that speak to more than just a student’s performance in the classroom. However, by far the most important aspect of the winternship is that it builds student confidence. Other collaborative activities will be presented.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): NSF-CREST award number: 1345163 and NASA-CIPAIR grant number: NNX11AQ99G
Faculty Advisor: None Listed,