Looking Ahead: Implementing a Robotics Research Lab at a Community College to Support Undergraduate Research

While participation in undergraduate research has many benefi ts for students including increased confi dence and persistence in engineering, community college students do not have the same access to research as students at four-year institutions. To address this disparity, we developed a soft robotics-focused undergraduate research lab at a community college within a multi-institution collaboration. In addition to the benefi ts of undergraduate research, we see soft robotics research as particularly useful for creating diverse teams in engineering as a result of interdisciplinary challenges, new materials, and human-centered designs the fi eld presents. Early assessment shows students are gaining skills in collaborating with others and building confi dence in contributing to science. The success of this program shows the potential for broader impacts at other similar institutions.