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The Center for Science Excellence teamed up with the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources in PS-132 on Friday for an informational seminar focused on recruiting community college students for paid internships at Cal.
The Environmental Leadership Pathway is a one-year collaborative program between Contra Costa College and Cal, in which students looking to transfer to a university or state college get experience in their science major, learn how to navigate the transfer system and become involved in a mentoring system.
"We want to increase the number of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)," CSE Director Setiati Sidharta said of the partnership between the two colleges. "It is an excellent opportunity for students to go beyond the classroom, doing research and hands-on practice."
The ELP is designed to accept 25 applicants. ELP Director Chris Lever said he is recruiting at 11 community colleges throughout the Bay Area, including CCC's sister schools Diablo Valley College and Los Medanos College.
To meet the criteria, students must have at least a cumulative 3.2 grade point average, be interested in a STEM major and have completed or are enrolled in relative courses that will meet the Fall 2009 transfer application process.
Also, being a first-generation college student with financial need and a recommendation from a counselor, science or math faculty member can further increase the chances of being selected.
Coming from an underrepresented college group, such as women, Native-Americans, Latino-Americans or African-Americans will also help students attain an internship.
Interns will be paid $340 a month and $2,000 a month in June and July, totaling $7,400. The program covers expenses, such as class materials and BART fare.
"The greatest thing about this is that the students are not taking an economic hit," Lever said.
The program, funded by the National Science Foundation and the Don Dahlsten Outreach Fund, is entering its third year.
"It changes a little each year," Lever said.
This year, the program will be held from January to December, instead of from September to August as it was in the past two years, to better accommodate time needed to work on transfer applications. Lever explained that the program is split into four components.
The first is the Environmental Science Case Studies course starting January at Cal, which introduces research.
Second is the summer internship in June and July where participants work 40 hours a week with UC faculty in laboratories.
Third is field camp at Cal's Baker Forest camp, practicing empirical research.
Fourth is completion in the Teaching and Learning Environmental Science course, which prepares them to go out in the community and teach 30 hours in a K-12 school teaching and tutoring.
Upon completion of the program, including a symposium where they present their final projects of what they have learned, students receive a letter of recommendation from J. Keith Gilless, dean of the College of Natural Resources, Dr. Sidharta said.
"When students transfer, this will add to their personal statements," she said.
Laura Yamagata was an intern in the 2007-08 program and is now attending UC Berkeley.
"Teaching helps you understand your own learning processes. You learn how to ask deeper questions and how to get to the root of problems," Yamagata said. "I think the program helps students to facilitate how to go into universities so it's not intimidating."
Last year, 21 students started and 15 completed.
Lever said in the program's history, all of the scholars that applied to transfer were accepted into their first school of choice.
Contact Holly Pablo at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com.
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