# Bridge RISE Supplement

> **NIH NIH R25** · EL PASO COMMUNITY COLLEGE · 2020 · $38,853

## Abstract

The goals of the RISE to the Challenge Bridge between EPCC, UTEP, and NMSU are: 1) to
continue providing talented EPCC students with the tools to succeed and excel in their freshman
and sophomore-level biology, chemistry, and math courses; 2) to continue strengthening the
research knowledge and skills of EPCC students and faculty; and 3) to increase the number of
minority and disadvantaged students that transfer to a four-year institution with the skills
necessary to graduate with a baccalaureate degree and eventually a Ph.D. in biomedical fields.
The program provides year-round research internships for twelve students and Course-based
Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) projects and Supplemental Instruction.
During the Spring 2020 semester, students were at various stages of completion of CURE
projects when the College closed because of the COVID19 pandemic. Most students were able to
process data and present their CURE projects in various formats. But the need to prepare for the
possibility of another wave of the disease and students being unable to return to labs is evident.
Students participating in year-round research internships were affected as well. EPCC’s
administration continues to monitor state and local orders as well as CDC and Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board guidelines to determine how classes will be offered in Fall 2020.
The most likely option is that science courses will be offered in a hybrid modality, trying to front
load the most critical face-to-face laboratory activities early in the semester. For this reason, it is
critical to develop virtual curriculum modules that can expedite (or replace if needed) the
completion of face-to-face critical aspects of CURE projects as well as enhance and complement
research training activities for students in CURE courses and the individual research trainees.
Importantly, efforts must be made to reduce the anxiety some students and faculty may
experience with the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 upon their return to campus. In order to
ease this transition and make sure faculty and students stay motivated to participate in research
projects, we must implement procedures that reduce the risk of transmission. This includes
training in the proper use of PPE, social distancing, disinfection procedures, and improving air
quality using technologies that can reduce the viral load of circulating air in laboratories. In
addition, and although participation in CUREs results in increases in students’ science identity
development, CURE projects are often disconnected from the communities in which the students
live and current events affecting the world such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence
of multi-drug resistant organisms.
EPCC proposes to 1) Create, implement, and evaluate a series of innovative online CURE
modules that are focused on the scientific and societal impacts of COVID-19 and the emergence
of antimicrobial resistance, 2) Generate a repository of field-tested modul...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10193708
- **Project number:** 3R25GM123928-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** EL PASO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** MARIA E ALVAREZ
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $38,853
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10193708

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10193708, Bridge RISE Supplement (3R25GM123928-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10193708. Licensed CC0.

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