SAN MARCOS ---- Palomar College sophomore Chris Lopez has big dreams for a career in science and he is taking advantage of a program that is helping him get there.

Known as Bridges to the Future, the program partners Palomar Community College, Mira Costa College and Cal State San Marcos to provide better opportunities for minority students in the sciences and encourages and supports them toward a science degree and related career.

Lopez, 21, said he has gained a lot from the program ---- he had the opportunity to meet with a chemistry professor at CSUSM who taught him basic laboratory and research techniques.

"If you want to get past a bachelor's, lab experience is really important," Lopez said.

Almost finished with his education at Palomar, Lopez said he will be transferring to UC San Diego, next semester, where he will major in chemistry and biochemistry. Without Bridges to the Future, Lopez said he is not sure if he would have pursued a science degree.

"I think it's a good opportunity for under-represented minorities to get an idea of what it takes to get a degree in any of the sciences," Lopez said. "It's not as hard to get a degree in the sciences as they put it out to be."

Dan Sourbeer, an associate professor of life sciences at Palomar and coordinator for the program, said Bridges helps students by offering supplemental education, including matching students with professors and professionals in a similar field or major, as well as providing additional workshops, seminars and one-on-one tutoring.

The students also get a $3,400-per-year scholarship for participating in the program.

"We are really trying to show students career pathways in research," Sourbeer said. "It will make a difference in their lives ---- they are getting opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise."

With few minority students involved in the sciences, the National Institutes of Health provided a $600,000 grant to address the issue in the hope of eventually increasing diversity in the workplace, Sourbeer said.

The $600,000 is broken down into $200,000 portions for three years and is split between the two community colleges; the program is currently in its second year of operation.

The program specifically targets minority students who demonstrate ability in the sciences. This includes students of Latino, African-American, American-Indian, Alaskan, Filipino, Hawaiian, Samoan, Pacific Islander, Laotian, Cambodian or Vietnamese backgrounds. Sourbeer said he also prefers that students be in good academic standing with at least a 3.0 grade point average.

Bridge scholars are not required to transfer to CSUSM after completing a two-year degree at Palomar or Mira Costa, Sourbeer said.

The program does not limit its scholars to any particular field in the sciences, instead it aids students interested in any science-oriented career, including mathematics, computer science, psychology and biology, among others.

At Palomar College, 18 students have been accepted into the Bridges program. Five have transferred to four-year schools to continue their science education.

After completing the program, Sourbeer said his students tend to be more confident about themselves and their futures.

"I think they have a little more direction ---- they know where they are headed and they know how to get there," Sourbeer said. "I also think they have more confidence in approaching instructors. They realize we are just people, it breaks down some of those barriers, I think"

Sourbeer said that he and the site coordinator at Mira Costa College, Denise Stillinger, want 14 students per campus to participate each year. He and his colleagues are currently recruiting for next year's scholars and plan to renew their grant for future years.

"We feel pretty good about where we are headed," Sourbeer said of the program.