Research Experience for Community College Students

Click on a question below to see answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the RECCs Program.

To apply, go to: https://cuboulder.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79fQrNwZZKBfAge

• Full applications are due February 4th, 2024.
• To receive application deadline reminders, tips for applying, and other updates, fill out this short survey.
• Applicants will be notified of acceptance or dismissal in early March. 
• All communications will be via email – check your emails regularly

The RECCS Summer Research Program is open to all Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, and Wyoing community college students. The program runs from June 3rd - August 2nd. We encourage applications from students currently living in, or who grew up in rural communities. We seek applicants from a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.  

Before starting the application read through the Frequently Asked Questions tab for important information about the program and advice on completing this application. Also, check out our webinar and resources about REU programs and application tips for RECCS and other REU programs here. 

To be eligible to apply you must:

• Be a US Citizen or a Permanent Resident
• Attend a Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, or New Mexico community college (can graduate in the spring semester and plan to attend a 4-year college)
• Have completed a minimum of two science classes, and college algebra is encouraged.
• Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or have a reasonable explanation if below.
• Not have a BA or BS even in a completely unrelated discipline
• Be willing to make a full-time commitment for 9 weeks (40 hours per week)  

A complete application includes the following:

1. Completed online application form
2. An unofficial transcript (uploaded during the online application process).
   • Accepted students will be asked to provide an official transcript.
3. Mandatory online Recommendation form completed by an instructor or administrator at your community college. 

Thank you for supporting your students in applying for RECCS! 

A Recommendation Form from a community college educator or administrator is required for each applicant to the Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) Program at the University of Colorado.  

Please fill out a recommendation form, accessible here.

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We value the work and effort that you spend with students, therefore we will no longer be requiring recommendation letters for our semi-finalists. We have added a couple of open-ended short-answer questions to this recommendation form for you to provide additional comments about the student you are recommending.

What questions will I be asked?

• How do you know the student you are recommending?
• How would you rate… (excellent, mediocre, poor, N/A)
  • The student’s quality of work in completing assignments/projects?
  • The student’s level of motivation?
  • The student’s aptitude to be self-directed?
  • The student’s potential to problem-solve?
• How does this student compare to other students you have taught in terms of academic skills? (Top 10%, Mid-range (11-50%), lowest 50%, N/A)
• What stands out to you about this student (200 words or less)?
• Is there anything else you would like to share with us about this student (200 words or less)?

You are welcome to submit an optional letter of recommendation if you wish. We find it helpful when the letter addresses items such as: 

• How long have you known the applicant and in what capacity?
• The quality of the candidate’s academic or creative achievements, including areas not reflected on the official transcripts.
• The applicant’s potential strengths in a collaborative research environment.
• Those aspects of the applicant’s personality or character that would help them to succeed in this program.
• The ability of the applicant to make use of this opportunity in preparation to attend a four-year institution.
• The applicant’s level of interest in geoscience.
• Anything else we should know?

The Letter of Recommendation can be emailed as a pdf to reccs@colorado.edu.

Interested in mentoring?

To submit a project for the summer 2023 Program, please send an email to reccs@colorado.edu. 

Mentors are the heart and soul of the RECCS program. They volunteer their time to support the next generation of scientists, teaching research skills, connecting their mentees with the field, inspiring them in their careers, and building confidence. In the process, they gain mentoring skills and (hopefully) inspiration from their interactions with a student from a community college, often from a non-traditional background. 

Typically we recruit mentors in December & January for the following summer. If you are interested in mentoring, please send a brief description of your proposed project to reccs@colorado.edu by February 15th. 

Who can mentor?

RECCS mentors come from all parts of CIRES, CU, NOAA, and USGS. Many are research scientists or faculty, but others are postdocs or graduate students.  We encourage and support mentoring teams, where several mentors work together to support a single student, sharing the workload and ensuring the student is supported across vacations, work travel, hybrid work schedules, and other responsibilities.  We do ask that someone on the mentoring team is available for most of the summer, especially during the critical first and final two-week blocks. Learning to be a research scientist is a steep learning curve, and extra support is often needed to ramp up and wrap up.  No previous mentoring experience is necessary.

What is required?

Before the summer, mentors will define a research project for their mentee (see below). Mentors will be matched with mentees by the RECCS team based on the mentee’s interests and skills and will have the opportunity to adapt their project knowing who they will work with. All mentors will be provided with training and resources to support them in their role as a mentor and will participate in mentor meetings with the RECCS team. 

When the students arrive, mentors will work with their mentee on the day-to-day work of completing a research assignment. The RECCS program provides structure and training that guides the students toward their final deliverables of posters, talks, and conference abstracts, as well as professional development and cohort-building activities, while the mentor (or mentor team) supports the research component.  Mentors typically work with their mentee for 3-5 hours a week, often making themselves available for questions on most days. Successful mentorships also connect the RECCS student with other students and researchers in their labs, who may also be able to provide guidance and support. RECCS students are paid for their participation in the program and are expected to work for 40 hours a week, with RECCS activities occupying most of the first week, and Wednesdays throughout the summer.  RECCS team members will stay in touch with you as mentors throughout the summer to support you with any challenges that arise.

Beyond the summer, while there is no expectation of ongoing support, many mentors write recommendation letters for their students when they apply for graduate school and fellowship opportunities. With our students being Colorado-based, some mentors have also chosen to continue to support their mentees in doing research throughout the school year.

What makes a good project?

Mentors identify a wide range of projects for RECCS interns. Some involve fieldwork and data collection, others focus on existing data sets. Some projects are a small part of a mentor’s own research, while others tackle interesting questions mentors may not have had time for.  Whichever you choose, a great REU project is one that a) feels meaningful, b) is appropriately scoped for the program timeframe (experience suggests this is something that could be done by an experienced researcher in about 1-2 weeks, c) provides early success (e.g. being able to make measurements or an interesting plot early in the summer) and d) offers some alternate end- or extension- options.  Projects should be authentic (i.e. you don’t need to know the outcome – and projects that don’t work out are a normal part of science), and offer the student a chance to feel ownership.  We ask that our mentors identify projects that their students might work on (though having some flexibility to align with students’ interests helps develop a sense of ownership). A great research project can likely provide some results within about 6 weeks of student work and would be suitable for them to present in the student section of a conference.

Our students are community college students, so do not yet have advanced coursework or the exposure to research that a senior undergrad or graduate student might have, however usually have a great work ethic, wide-ranging skills developed outside of class, and an amazing ability to learn fast and deliver awesome work. In most cases, RECCS students can present their research in the student section of a scientific conference – i.e. these are real projects and not just an opportunity for assistance in the lab. You can see some of past year’s research here.

What else should I know?

Inclusion matters to us

RECCS aims to create a supportive and inclusive environment where students are encouraged to bring their full selves to their research. We believe strongly that the best research occurs when people can bring their experiences and identities to their work, are supported in their environment, and are part of caring teams. We actively work to propagate these ideals and are proud that our mentors work with us to ensure that RECCS interns have a great introduction to the earth and environmental sciences. 

We might be a good broadening participation addition to your next grant

The RECCS program is funded by the National Science Foundation, and your student will receive a good stipend and living/transportation costs at no cost to you. That said, we are always happy to work with scientists who would like to write support for a RECCS intern into your grants.  If funded, we will work with you to identify a great student to work on your project during the summer, and they will be well supported by the RECCS program, freeing you from the work of recruitment, logistics, and professional development that taking on undergraduates often entails. Our focus on increasing the diversity of the geosciences, as well as a 10+ year track record, makes funding a RECCS intern an excellent addition to your broadening participation efforts.

I’m in – what should I do next?

Thank you for being willing to inspire and mentor a RECCS student! Please drop us an email at reccs@colorado.edu and we will be in touch.