A marine science internship, without the ocean: transitioning a community college internship program to a virtual setting

Abstract:

The Santa Rosa Junior College - UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory Internship Program is an established bridge program that provides research experiences for community college students that otherwise have limited research opportunities. The graduate student-directed program has traditionally (5 years) functioned as an in-person internship with a substantial field and lab component. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person internship was transformed into an all-virtual internship experience for 2020. The decision to continue the program remotely was based on the desire to provide high-quality research experiences that are integral to student retention and success in STEM programs, particularly for community college students. Challenges we faced included: co-creating feasible projects with mentors, fostering a sense of community for interns, and ensuring engagement between interns and the broader lab community. To support novel research project ideas, we developed programming co-taught by multiple mentors including teaching computer programming skills, and shared mentorship of students utilizing similar tools. To facilitate cohort development, we instituted new communication techniques and piloted a series of weekly professional development workshops. Topics included professional communication, planning college experiences, conferences, science writing, transitioning to 4-year university, and careers in marine sciences. Unexpected benefits of the remote internship include developing protocols that promote inclusivity, such as designing schedule flexibility to accommodate interns, removing barriers of access to a remote marine lab, and increasing representation of leadership voices by inviting external experts that would have otherwise been unfeasible within the budget of the program. These benefits can be replicated across remote programs and can be added to traditional in-person internship programs to increase options for remote engagement and promote inclusivity.