Nearly two-thirds of Chemeketa Community College students who apply for financial aid qualify for Pell grants.
More than a third work 20 or more hours a week. A new federal grant announced Monday, Aug. 24, will bring research opportunities into their regular coursework instead of asking them to find unpaid summer programs on their own.
The National Science Foundation awarded Chemeketa a competitive grant through its Innovations in Two-Year College STEM Education program to embed hands-on scientific research directly into introductory biology, chemistry, geology, physics, environmental science and mathematics courses.
The college did not disclose the dollar amount.
The project, titled "Increasing STEM Persistence and Transfer through Course-Based Research Experiences," is led by Jennifer Johns and Keith Scholeman with multi-departmental faculty teams, according to KYKN.
"Research experiences are proven to build student confidence and cut completion gaps in half for low-income and first-generation college students," Chemeketa President Jessica Howard said in the college's announcement. "Yet community college undergraduates rarely get access to authentic research early in their academic journey."
Who it reaches
Chemeketa serves more than 18,000 students annually across a 2,600-square-mile district in the Mid-Willamette Valley, making it Oregon's second-largest multi-campus community college district. Of those who apply for financial aid, 64% are Pell-eligible and 49% are first-generation college students. Traditional summer research programs are largely out of reach for students juggling jobs and family obligations.
What changes in the classroom
The grant funds four core strategies: hands-on research built into regular coursework, forest fieldwork at Opal Creek, community research projects with the City of Salem and structured transfer pathways to four-year universities. Full-time and adjunct faculty will receive professional development and curriculum redesign stipends through Chemeketa's Center for Academic Innovation.
The college plans to compile project outcomes and teaching tools into a pedagogical handbook published by Chemeketa Press. The college describes itself as the only community college in the nation publishing peer-reviewed textbooks authored by its own faculty.
What comes next
The NSF's ITYC program sits within the agency's Division of Undergraduate Education and targets STEM instruction specifically at two-year colleges. Chemeketa's handbook is intended to serve as a replicable model for similar institutions nationwide. The specific four-year university partners involved in the transfer pathways have not been named publicly.
No implementation timeline or start date has been announced.
