SUPPORTING SCIENCE STUDENTS
The initiative is made possible by the National Institutes of Health, with funding expected to total $1.37 million over five years. The program will work with a total of 45 students who will earn their associate degrees at Gaston College or Rowan-Cabarrus before transferring to UNC Charlotte to complete their bachelors of science degrees in the biomedical sciences.
In spring 2018, the program announced funding from the National Science Foundation for the SPARC4, or STEM Persistence and Retention via Curricula, Centralization, Cohorts, and Collaboration, Project.
“We are thrilled to once again partner with UNC Charlotte in a program that will benefit STEM students,” said Ashley Hagler, who is the SPARC director, as well as director of undergraduate research/biology coordinator, at Gaston College.
The partnership includes three areas of emphasis, following a Guided Pathway to Success model. First, students will receive academic advising while using “degree maps” to help them chart their academic course. They also will experience individualized mentorship, cohort learning, and course tutoring at the community college and university institutions.
“This grant gives our students an opportunity to get real world research experience,” said Dr. Carol Scherczinger, dean of arts and sciences at Rowan-Cabarrus.
Second, students will conduct independent research projects with faculty at the community college and later at UNC Charlotte. Research at UNC Charlotte will include independent research in a laboratory, conducting cutting-edge biomedical sciences research.
Third, to show how biomedical sciences fit in the real world, transfer students will be paired with senior student mentors at the university level, attend regional networking events for biomedical professionals, participate in professional development workshops, and take courses in bioethics.