Background: Students interested in STEM fields who enroll in 2-year Community Colleges primarily do so to complete prerequisites for a pre-professional undergraduate degree. Metropolitan Community College (MCC), Omaha, Nebraska, broke new ground by offering a year-long SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) curriculum based undergraduate research experience (CURE) program for college credit – the first and only community college in the state to do so. The program introduces students to cutting-edge research early in their academic journey, aligning with MCC's mission of delivering relevant, student-centered education to a diverse community. Statement of research question: Determining whether a CURE program can be implemented at a 2-year college addressing the aspects of diversity inclusion and equity. The inaugural cohort was remarkably diverse, including high school students earning college credits, returning adult learners reigniting their research interests, international students from Burkina Faso, Indonesia, and Cuba, local Nebraskans, and a homeschooled student from a military family. United by a shared goal of using SEA-PHAGES to propel themselves into STEM graduate programs, this cohort stood out from typical MCC science classes. The opportunity to conduct groundbreaking research and identify undiscovered bacteriophages with potential for phage therapy was a major draw. Supported by MCC scholarships, the course was highly successful, with 11 new bacteriophages identified and two genomes annotated in the Bioinformatics course. Students received accolades at multiple Nebraska conferences, including the Best Undergraduate Research Project in Biology at the Nebraska Academy of Sciences meeting. Concluding Statement: The program's success has led to expansion, with offerings at two campuses in 2024-25. Recruitment efforts include open houses, scholarship events, interviews, and potentially a summer camp for interested high schoolers. The community has taken notice, with coverage in the Omaha World Herald, KETV (ABC affiliate), and MCC's online and video publications.
