City College of San Francisco (CCSF) and San Francisco State University (SFSU) jointly sponsor a Baccalaureate Bridge Program. Our multi-component program is designed to increase recruitment, retention, transfer rates, and graduation of underrepresented minority students with baccalaureate degrees in science to prepare them to pursue careers in biomedical research. The primary objectives of our CCSF/SFSU Bridge Program are to bring the mathematics skills of entering community colleges students to a level needed for them to successfully complete Calculus prior to transferring to SFSU and other 4-year institutions; supplement the introductory biology and chemistry courses at CCSF with enrichment workshops designed to improve the performance of underrepresented minority students in these critical gateway science courses; provide group and independent research experiences for participants; provide a link between CCSF and SFSU students and faculty that foster a career in biomedical research; and develop a monitoring system with appropriate counseling and academic support services for program participants. CCSF and SFSU faculty have seven activities to accomplish these objectives: Advising and Monitoring Program, Pre-Calculus Math Bridge Workshop Honors Seminar Series, Academic Enrichment Workshop, Science in Action Directed Research, Independent Research Internship, and CCSF Faculty Development.

Advising and monitoring program (all year): Each student is assigned an NIH faculty advisor who meets regularly with students to plan academic goals and assess progress.

Pre-calculus Math Bridge Workshop (Summer): Designed around use of graphing calculators with the goal of improving math familiarity.

Honors Seminar Series (Fall & Spring): Students participate in weekly seminars to hear research presentations and become familiar with biomedical career options.

Academic Enrichment Workshop (Fall & Spring): Group study workshops aimed at improving performance in science courses.

Science in Action Directed Research (Summer): Molecular biology class provides experience in biomedical research.

Independent Research Internships (Summer): Students conduct independent research projects in faculty laboratories. Students receive financial support while participating in summer program activities.

For applications, please contact:

NIH Science Scholars Program

c/o Dr. Ronald Drucker

Chemistry Department, Box S45

City College of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 94132

(415)239-3389