RCC Students Gain Hands-On Research Experience Through Community College Field Biology Alliance

Five Riverside City College students selected for paid research internship focused on ecology and environmental science

Riverside City College students are gaining hands-on experience in ecology and environmental science through the Community College Field Biology Alliance, a program that provides community college students with opportunities to conduct original research and prepare for careers and further education in the field.

Founded and directed in 2018 by Riverside City College Life Sciences faculty member Amanda Rich, the Community College Field Biology Alliance is designed to give community college students the research experience needed to advance to the next stage of careers in ecology and environmental science. This year, five RCC students were selected to participate in the program, an eight-month paid research internship that runs from May through December.

Through monthly virtual meetings, students build community and professional connections while receiving training to prepare for transfer and future careers in ecology. Interns also work collaboratively to design original research projects using open-source data products collected across the country by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).

In July, RCC students traveled to the Sierra Nevada National Forest alongside faculty mentors from RCC, Irvine Valley College and UCLA to collect data in partnership with NEON scientists. The field experience provided students with hands-on training in terrestrial and aquatic sampling methods while they lived and worked alongside professional field biologists.

The data collected by the students will be used in their individual research projects and will also contribute to NEON's national open-source environmental database, which provides data used by researchers and policymakers across the country.

The RCC interns are currently analyzing their data and preparing their research findings for presentation at a virtual research symposium on December 5.

Community members are invited to attend the virtual symposium and learn more about the students' research. Additional information, including Zoom details, is available at ccfieldbiologyalliance.org.