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BRIDGING THE GAP: CREATION AND IMPACT OF THE BIO-BRIDGE PROGRAM ON GCC BIOLOGY STUDENTS **

Abstract

For over thirty years, traditional STEM Bridge Programs have been developed to assist with the preparation and retention of incoming freshmen and/or transfer students into 4-year STEM majors. These STEM Bridge Programs traditionally occur over several weeks during the summer preceding the students’ starting semester. Although there has been an increase in the implementation of Summer STEM Bridge Programs, these programs often have limitations due to the significant amount of time, resources, and effort required. In 2016, a 2-year-to-4-year institution bridge program was developed for the biology students of Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC). The goal of the Bio-Bridge program was to “bridge the gap” in new biology students by strengthening skills needed for introductory STEM courses, focusing on problem solving, critical thinking, study skills, time management, oral and written scientific communication. Unlike traditional summer STEM Bridge Programs, Bio-Bridge is a 1-credit elective course offered during both the fall and spring semester of every academic year. Students in the Bio-Bridge program, with the guidance from biology and chemistry faculty, develop their own research projects studying the antioxidant properties of their chosen herbal supplement. Throughout the semester, students learn various scientific skills including experimental design, creation and analysis of graphs, spectrophotometry, antioxidant detection assays, mammalian and yeast culture. To culminate their research experience, Bio-Bridge students create research posters and present them at GGC’s CREATE Symposium. To date, over fifty biology students have completed the program, with class sizes ranging from 3 – 13 per semester. Research is ongoing to determine the impact of Bio-Bridge on GGC biology students’ successful matriculation through their degree program.

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