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The research mentoring program that Del Mar College biotechnology faculty developed with the Revising Science Education with Vision (REVISION) Advanced Technological Education grant was recently recognized by Excelencia in Education for its outstanding efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education.

As the leader of one of the seven associate-degree-level programs profiled in the 2013 edition of Examples of Excelencia, ATE Principal Investigator J. Robert Hatherill was invited to attend the Seventh Annual Celebraci?n de Excelencia on October 1 in Washington, D.C. Examples of Excelencia systematically identifies and honors higher education programs that have evidence of boosting Latino students' enrollment, performance, and graduation rates.

Hatherill, a biology professor at Del Mar College, created the college's biotechnology program in 2008. He believes that the earlier students are introduced to research-related mentoring the bigger impact it will have on their lifelong learning. He and Daiyuan "Daisy" Zhang, a biotechnology professor, have mentored as many as 20 student researchers at a time.

Del Mar College's ATE grants have facilitated students participation in research projects and internships at Berkeley National Laboratory, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Cornell University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and University of San Diego.

Data indicate that Del Mar College biology and biotechnology majors who choose courses that involve undergraduate research persist at higher rates and participate in science-related campus activities more often than students who enroll in traditionally taught science courses. Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, is an Hispanic-serving institution with 58.9% first-generation college students, 58.6% women, and 59.3% Hispanic students.

ATE Grants Support Inclusion of Authentic Research Experiences

Hatherill has served as the principal investigator for two ATE grants that incorporate undergraduate research into the Del Mar's bioscience courses. He launched the South Texas Undergraduate Curriculum Consortium for Environmental and Biological Science Students (SUCCESS) in 2007 with an $899,905 ATE project grant. The current REVISION grant has provided $807,252 to add more research experiences, use case studies, and implement a mobile device platform to help students learn critical laboratory techniques via podcasts. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) and the Life Sciences Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have partnered with Del Mar College on both grants.

By 2012, 80 SUCCESS students had participated in the external internships required for Del Mar's biotechnology certificate and associate degree: all 80 SUCCESS students presented their research at regional or national scientific meetings. Ninety percent of the 80 SUCCESS students transferred to four-year degree programs or found employment. The REVISION program started in 2012-2013 and has engaged 20 more students in undergraduate research.

Del Mar College students have worked with Hatherill during internships at the Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. There they investigated the effects of low-dose radiation on cell culture and animal models. Their research has provided new information about the daily, low-dose radiation exposure of radiation workers. Their focus on defects in the DNA repair machinery has the potential to lead to new understanding of the mechanisms behind the serious diseases that result from defects in DNA repair machinery. Hatherill reports that the Del Mar students' work has generated scientific data that is typically beyond the scope of traditional academic and industrial institutions.

Students currently on Del Mar's campus are part of the Science Education Alliance program that includes HHMI's National Genomics Research Initiative. This program integrates actual research and education in genomics by involving undergraduates in isolating and characterizing bacterial viruses in local soil samples.

Star Student Jennifer Robles Chancellor

One of the stars of the biotechnology program is Jennifer Robles Chancellor (in photo). As a Del Mar student she won the two top prizes at the 2010 Science and Energy Research Challenge Poster Competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Chancellor did her award-winning research on a technique to detect radiation sensitivity in the cells of immunosuppressed individuals as a summer intern at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The knowledge, skills, and confidence Chancellor gained from the internship and the experience of competing against undergraduates from research universities surpassed the cash prizes (which totaled $10,000) and the crystal trophies. Chancellor talks about the experience in a video.

"The internship taught me how to think like a scientist, to recognize a problem, formulate a hypothesis, design the experiment, execute the design, and analyze the information obtained," Chancellor wrote in an email for ATE@20. By the end of her summer internship she decided to become a PhD scientist. Since completing her associate degree at Del Mar College, Chancellor has earned dual bachelor of science degrees in biochemistry and biomedical science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She is now working on her master's degree there and conducting research on wound-healing cells.

From her undergraduate research experience, Chancellor explained, "I learned that I am capable of accomplishing anything that I work hard for. That even though the work may have been difficult and stressful, I did not quit; that the end result is worth it all."

Chancellor added, "Dr. Hatherill changed my life the day he asked me if I wanted to attend an internship in Berkeley. He was actually the first instructor that made science exciting and fun. Throughout my internship and competition experience, he was there every step of the way. He was an advisor, a motivator, a mentor, and a friend. And he is still all those things to this day. And because of the way he helped me, I hope that I can be the same for my students."

Other Outstanding Performances by Del Mar College Students

Other Del Mar College students have excelled in poster competitions too.

Molly Robertson won first place in the poster competition at the HHMI's Fourth Annual Science Education Alliance Symposium in June 2012. The competition included 60 students, some were from large research universities.

11 Del Mar College students presented posters on their research at the fall 2012 meeting of the Texas Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).

M. Clayton Speed won first place and Louisa Hughes won an honorable mention at the spring 2013 poster competition at the Texas Branch of ASM.

Six Del Mar College students were the only community students who participated in the poster competition at the 2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston. The students report that their interactions with other students have inspired them to do high caliber research when they pursue other science degrees in the future. The students made a video about their Boston experience.

Aaron Beach placed second and Brady Kellogg received an honorable mention at a poster competition at the regional meeting of Sigma Xi (The Scientific Research Society).

Aaron Beach received an honorable mention for his poster on DNA repair and the bacteriophage "Pier" at the HHMI’s 5th Annual SEA Symposium in June 2013.

The college also holds its own poster sessions for students to share their research. The fall 2012 and spring 2013 sessions attracted about 200 individuals including students, their relatives, faculty members, administrators, and community residents.