The Community College to PhD Association (CC2PhD) is hosting an undergraduate research conference Saturday, May 26 at UCLA.
Part of an effort by CC2PhD to engage and support community college and transfer students in research and PhD preparation opportunities, the conference will feature research presentations from 114 students from area community colleges and transfer students at UCLA and other four year institutions.
“We want to make research more accessible for community college students,” says David Nguyen, the founder and director of CC2PhD. “This conference is a great opportunity for students to present their research in an accessible and supportive environment”
Students participating in the conference will share research on topics across all disciplines, including arts, humanities and social sciences, as well as in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Student presentations range from research on adverse childhood experiences and their impact of community college students by students at Cerritos College, to those exploring LatinX Education by students at Los Angeles Mission College.
Also at the conference, University of Southern California Professor Julie Posselt will share the results of a two-year ethnographic study of PhD admissions, in which she interviewed faculty from 10 top-ranked PhD programs in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and observed the admissions deliberations in six of those programs. The conference closes with a lecture by Dr. Martha A. Rivas-Castro, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness at Moreno Valley College and Visiting Scholar in the Latin American Studies Program at UC Riverside, who will discuss her work Soulfully Resistant Transferistas: Understanding the Chicana Transfer Experience from Community College and into the Doctorate.
The Community College to PhD program was established in September 2017 with aim of addressing the underrepresentation of community college alumni in PhD programs.
“It’s a matter of equity and opportunity,” says Nguyen. Traditionally, community college students have not access to research methods courses, or the opportunity to participate in research programs or receive grants.
“When I was a community college student there were not a lot of research opportunities for me, and transfer students have less opportunity to participate in research projects. We are trying to change that.”
As part of that effort, in addition to the undergraduate conference, CC2PhD operates a Scholars Program engaging community college students of color in an eight-month introductory research and PhD preparation program. Participants receive a research grant of $300, and have access to monthly meetings with a CC2PhD Community College Faculty Advisor. Students also participate in monthly CC2PhD Saturday Academies., offering social science research methods workshops, PhD preparation workshops, and presentations on community college equity issues.
“Community College transfer students bring diversity, intellect and a vibrant energy our learning community at UCLA and across the UC system, and we hope many of them use their talents to pursue graduate study and that UCLA finds ways to build on their strengths and to support their desire to grow academically” says Cecilia Rios Aguilar, Director of the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute. CC2PhD is doing a great job at encouraging students to participate in academic research opportunities and to develop the knowledge, skills and relationships they need to succeed”
The CC2PhD Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Conference takes place on Saturday, May 26, at UCLA at Ackerman Hall. More information is available at https://www.cc2phd.com/murc
Above: David Nguyen is the founder and director of CC2PhD.
Courtesy of David Nguyen