Geology students map Europa bands to investigate ice shell evolution with NASA research grant

Students worked with Geology Instructor Dr. Michelle Selvans and two research scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), to map bands and surface fractures in high-resolution images of the icy moon of Jupiter. Europa is a focus for astrobiological and tectonics research since it has at least twice the amount of all the water on Earth in its ice-covered ocean, and since it may experience something like plate tectonics.

Students learned research skills including:

• Developed mapping methods with JPL scientists.
• Read/presented several background papers.
• Trained to use ArcGIS and mapped full E15 region.

C-MOOR Partnership with Carnegie Institution and Johns Hopkins University

John Hopkins University (JHU) provides student access to scientific data inspiring the next generation of genomic data scientists. The partnership with C-MOOR (the Carnegie Massive Open Online Research platform developed by Carnegie and JHU) provides biology students access to real data, analytical tools, and an opportunity to develop a research project proposal.

At Clovis Community College, C-MOOR currently offers:

• Two courses for students to engage in authentic genomics undergraduate research.
• A miniCURE (mini Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience) where a research project is embedded within the biology for majors course, Biol-11A; and a stand-alone CURE in genomics data science research in Biol-12 course.

Students develop and present a Scientific Poster at the annual Research Symposium, which started in 2022. Students obtain authentic research experience, collaborate with faculty and students outside the classroom, and attend scientific seminars and interact with active scientists.

Our goal is to mitigate and/or reduce the barrier between data science careers and first-generation college students by increasing familiarity with the scientific process and the methods used by scientists for data interpretation. We collect and analyze the data, then share our findings with other teaching institutions.

PODER - Providing Opportunities Designed to Educate and Recognize

(PODER) is a Title V grant aimed at helping Latinx and/or low-income students succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The goal is to increase the number of Hispanic and/or low-income students in the Central Valley who have access to and complete degrees or certificates in STEM disciplines through guided pathways and partnerships to support increased transfer into 4-year university STEM programs.

Learn more about PODER

PODER offers:

Outreach and Bridging Strategies to Increase STEM Enrollments to increase access and enrollment of Hispanic and/or low-income students through a partnership with employers, local K-12 districts, and four-year university partners.

Strategies to Increase Course Success and STEM Program Completion: Research-based field trips to Stanford and UC Davis. Annual STEM Research Symposiums, STEM Study Hours and more.

Clovis Community College is proud to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

In 2022-2023, CCC served 6,465 Latinx students, representing 49% of our total student body.

Clovis Community College is #1 in California for Latinx students' rate of transfer to a 4-year institution and First-Generation students' rate of transfer to a 4-year institution.

(CCCCO Student Success Metrics per 100 students, 2021-22 academic year.)