Paper ID #37276Development and First-Year Outcomes of a NSF-Funded Summer ResearchInternship Program to Engage Community College Students in EngineeringResearchDr. Xiaorong Zhang, San Francisco State University Dr. Xiaorong Zhang is an Associate Professor in Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering at San Francisco State University (SFSU). She is the Director of the Intelligent Computing and Embedded Systems Laboratory (ICE Lab) at SFSU. She has broad research experience in human-machine interfaces, embedded systems, and engineering education. She is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award to develop the next
Paper ID #42760Engaging Community College Students in Artificial Intelligence Researchthrough an NSF-Funded Summer Research Internship ProgramDr. Zhuwei Qin, San Francisco State University Dr. Zhuwei Qin is currently an assistant professor in the School of Engineering at San Francisco State University (SFSU). His research interests are in the broad area of deep learning acceleration, interpretable deep learning, and edge computing. Dr. Qin serves as the director of the Mobile and Intelligent Computing Laboratory (MIC Lab) at SFSU. Dr. Qin’s research endeavors are dedicated to addressing the inherent challenges related
andAurora, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Lockheed Martin, and others. Underthe award, three additional community colleges will implement the model in future yearscontributing students to the target number of 60 internship participants each summer of the project.When it concludes, this six-year project will have supported ~300 community college studentsfrom five Denver-area community colleges in 10-week (at full-time), paid, engineering-researchexperiences. This paper explores the feedback collected from participants during the first year ofthe internship program to understand how students’ experiences may be affecting their interest incontinuing their engineering pursuits.OverviewThe Engineering Momentum project, (formerly the
precalculus and trigonometry courses they would take in the fall. Most math courses lastedabout two hours per day.Hands-On STEM ActivitiesMany STEM Core students report a lack of connection to the STEM economy in general and lackwhat research identifies as a clear “STEM identity.” In order to develop the critical STEM identity,make clear connections to real-world math applications, and provide resume-worthy projects thatwill inform their impending internship search, STEM Core Summer Bridge students completehands-on STEM projects. To assist with the creation of accessible and engaging content, GrowthSector worked with Oak Ridge Institute for Science Education (ORISE), based at Oak RidgeNational Laboratory. ORISE developed hands-on projects based on
Mexico where he became professor and Provost & EVP for academic affairs between 2011 and 2018. Since 2018, he is the Executive Vice President for Research at Georgia Tech & professor of ECE. Professor Abdallah conducts research and teaches courses in the general area of systems theory with focus on control and communications systems. His research has been funded by national funding agencies, national laboratories, and by various companies. He has also been active in designing and implementing various international graduate programs with Latin American and European countries. He was a co-founder in 1990 of the ISTEC consortium, which currently includes more than 150 universities in the US, Spain, and Latin
Paper ID #40157Exploring the Potential for Broadening Participation in Engineeringthrough Community College and Minority-Serving Institution PartnershipsDr. Bruk T. Berhane, Florida International University Dr. Bruk T. Berhane received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mary- land in 2003. He holds an M.S. in engineering management from the George Washington University and a Ph.D. in minority and urban education from the University of Maryland. In 2003, Bruk was hired by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), where he worked on nanotech- nology and
data between institutions, and promotion ofa sense of belonging in students [3], [13], [14], [16], [17], [18]. Additionally, GE@SF includesshared investment in student support services, physical collaboration and laboratory spaces onthe SF campus; UF faculty engagement and instruction at SF; and high-impact experientiallearning [19], [20]. Details of program structures are discussed below. These structures, whichrequired 4 years of careful collaborative planning between the two institutions, allow SF and UFto establish meaningful relationships, guidance, and support of students two or more years beforematriculation on the UF campus.Academic Transition and Support StructuresTo assist with the academic transition from high school to SF and from
saltwater estuarine system that is a defining feature of our region economically, sociallyand culturally. Traditional and innovative sensor-based water quality monitoring techniques were bothdiscussed and students were provided with links to additional resources, such as relevant local agency and 4organization websites, to help launch their independent exploration of the technical literature on the topic.In addition, students engaged in a hands-on activity, exploring the use of a low-cost, simple conductivity,temperature and depth (CTD) sensor node in a laboratory setting to provide a bridge between theory andtheir independent design
for Wright’s Engineering Program and the NSF: HSI ”Building Bridges into Engineering and Computer Science” grant since its inception. She is committed to cultivating an inclusive educational environment which respects the diversity of students, while providing attentive student support. Prior to joining Wright College, Ruzica obtained her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and conducted experimental and computational research at Argonne National Laboratory. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Bridging Gaps and Building Pathways to Increase Transfer through Data- Driven, Innovative, and Evidence-Based Strategies at Community CollegeI
], and construction of a community or supportsystem [7][5][12].A common theme amongst many transfer programs is that they allow students to participate inundergraduate research experiences. It can allow students to build connections with peers andnetwork with faculty or other researchers, as well as provide them with the experience of puttingtheir skills to work in the laboratory setting [1][5]. In some instances, the participation ofundergraduate students in research projects leads to a higher percentage of graduating studentsthan those who did not participate [11].Feeling connected and building a community is also a common finding among the programs.Transfer students may feel particularly alone as they begin their new programs [10
viableproducts as quickly as possible. The mission of I-Corps is to reduce the risk associated withtranslating technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace. To date, the NSF I-Corps hasproduced 1357 startup companies, which have cumulatively raised $3.16 billion in subsequentfunding [31].Central to the NSF I-Corps is the application of the “lean startup” approach developed by SteveBlank and other technology entrepreneurs [32]. The lean startup involves a “customer discovery”phase. Customer discovery centers around unstructured and unscripted in-person interviews ofpotential customers to discover actual customer needs. Frequently, unexpected insights emergefrom customer interviews. Customer discovery helps refine product-market fit and ensure