Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) Science Enrichment is an outreach program funded by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, the Howard Hughes Mentor Institute (HHMI) and the Health Resources Services Administration's Health Careers Opportunity Program.  COPC is designed to develop students' understanding of and ability to do scientific inquiry.   The program applies the National Science Education Standards to the teaching curriculum, and aims to supplement and improve academic achievement, enhance scientific literacy, and prepare seventh- through twelfth-grade students from disadvantaged backgrounds for a career in a science- or health-related field.

COPC is a year-round technical outreach program that achieves these goals through in-class and after-school instruction for science fair projects; field trips to UCSD campus and libraries so that students may conduct research for their projects.   Students participate in career-oriented events such as Doctor for a Day, sponsored by the School of Medicine, and Expanding Your Horizons, which is sponsored by General Atomics and is an event that targets sixth- through twelfth-grade girls.  These events give students the opportunity to explore career opportunities in the health and biomedical sciences, and other related fields. The UCSD COPC Science Enrichment Program, and our community partners, National City Middle and Sweetwater High Schools, use student participation in the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF), local district science fairs, as well as the California State Science Fair (CSSF) as vehicles for developing critical thinking skills and engaging students in scientific investigations over extended periods of time.

The program's staff includes Principal Investigator Sandra P. Daley, M.D., and Coordinator Carmela Arstill, in addition to teachers from our partner schools, Ms. Geri O'Brien from Sweetwater High, and Ms. May Lualhati from National City Middle School.