# Bridges to the Baccalaureate

> **NIH NIH T34** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2024 · $302,657

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The mission of our collaborative Bridges to the Baccalaureate (B2B) program is to develop a diverse pool of
biomedical scientists by supporting research-oriented community college students to successfully bridge to UC
Davis (UCD) and complete a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences in normative time. Our program entails a
collaboration between UCD and a nearby community college American River College (ARC). The proposed
training plan includes five key elements: (1) Active outreach to STEM-focused trainees from diverse backgrounds
at ARC; (2) Trainee exposure to and engagement with research at ARC; (3) An intensive Summer Bridge
research experience at UCD prior to transfer; (4) Placement into research labs beginning with the trainees' first
quarter at UCD; and (5) A multifaceted retention plan. In addition to research experience, students in the B2B
program will also receive administrative, academic, and career-skills support through our coordination with
AvenueB and AvenueE, programs at UCD that recruit, support and retain biological science and engineering
science-oriented underrepresented, low income, first- generation and women college transfer students (i.e.,
historically excluded populations). At ARC, a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE)
embedded in the first semester major’s biology class will connect interested students to research opportunities
available for units as independent studies. The administration of these independent study experiences will be
led by ARC faculty and technicians with UCD faculty and students providing supplemental programming and
support. These efforts will expand the opportunities for the diverse student population at ARC to engage in
science and research early in their academic journey. At UCD, a Summer Bridge research experience will
immerse students in a research environment that mimics key elements of undergraduate research and provides
training in robust experimental design, reproducibility, data analysis, responsible conduct in research, an
introduction to computation, and career development. Day-to-day mentorship will be provided from staff, faculty
and advanced undergraduates and will focus on building our trainees’ sense of community and belonging.
Following the summer bridge program, B2B trainees will be placed in faculty research labs under the mentorship
of one of the B2B program’s selected faculty mentors and transition to existing training programs (e.g. NIH-
MARC) for extra support. Demonstrated success of the partnership between ARC and UCD will lay the
groundwork for developing similar collaborations with other community colleges.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10913475
- **Project number:** 5T34GM150440-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Marina Lyn Ellefson Crowder
- **Activity code:** T34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $302,657
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-24 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10913475

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10913475, Bridges to the Baccalaureate (5T34GM150440-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10913475. Licensed CC0.

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