MPC2SC

Purpose

Broad participation of researchers with diverse lived experiences and backgrounds who participate in STEM research enhances productivity and creativity for the entire team and field.

What We've Done

Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) participated in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bridge to the Baccalaureate ACCESS program for 30 years (R25GM051765); during the last five-year period of 29 MPC students who participated, 79 percent successfully transferred to a four-year university, and 14 percent are on track to transfer this year! MPC students who participated in summer research at UCSC have transferred to R1 institutions (69 percent), in contrast to MPC’s institutional R1 transfer rate of 15 percent. These results suggest that exposure to undergraduate research prior to transfer can influence students’ decision-making processes when weighing the relative costs and benefits of their various transfer options.

Our Need

The NIH has not issued any new or renewal funding announcements for the Bridge to the Baccalaureate programs, endangering student participation in research nationwide. Our partnership with MPC has already secured funding for four students this coming summer 2026 through MESA and the PBSci Degree-Defining Experiences program. We are seeking support to bring one to three additional community college students to participate in research at UCSC to expand and enhance our cohort. Your donation will support funds for their housing, stipend, and research supplies. For instance:

$20 will fund one hour of assisted NMR time to train our students.

$75 will fund media to grow cell lines for biological testing.

$150 will fund overnight LC-MS(/MS) runs to check their mixtures for novel chemical entities.

$375 will fund one assay at the Chemical Screening Center to test our students' compounds.

$565 will fund one student's registration to attend the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students (ABRCMS) to present their summer research project.

$3,000 will fund a student's on-campus housing at UCSC for the entire eight-week program.

Testimonials

Vincent Hernandez was an alumnus in 1995, after which he transferred to and graduated from UCSC. Vincent began his biomedical career as a research scientist at ACLARA, where he rose through the ranks to become senior director of medicinal chemistry at ANACOR. In 2019, he founded AN2 Therapeutics, which specializes in antibiotic discovery. "I'm so grateful to the program," said Vincent, "and I think it's the absolute right entry point—targeting community college students."

Jaime Hernandez-Maldonado was an alumnus in 2007; he transferred to and graduated from UCSC in 2010 with a B.S. in biology and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in microbiology from UCSC in 2016. He is currently working as a senior scientist at Pendulum Therapeutics. He noted that “ACCESS was more than just a summer program; it was a spark that ignited my passion for scientific exploration.”

Valery Ortiz was an alumnus in 2019 who also transferred to MPC (partner institution) and graduated from UCSC in 2021 with a B.S. in MCD biology. She is now a second-year Ph.D. candidate at Scripps Research Institute and an NSF-GRFP and HHMI Gilliam fellow. Valery said, “The ACCESS program was pivotal in giving me my first taste of research and instilling confidence in my potential as a scientist.”