Interdisciplinary undergraduate research program with a travel component at Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles to promote success of women in STEM

Abstract

In response to the national need to produce skilled and globally aware STEM students, Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles developed an interdisciplinary undergraduate research program with an international fieldwork experience in the summer. The goals of the program are: (1) to train undergraduates in interdisciplinary research methodologies (laboratory techniques, cross cultural survey research, and policy analysis); (2) to collect real fieldwork data in Peru; (3) to analyze and present the results in professional conferences and publications; and (4) to develop leadership skills and teamwork necessary for student success and retention in STEM fields.Students enrolled in the program spend two semesters doing course work. In the first semester they learn about the molecular, environmental and nutritional causes of cancer from MSMU's STEM faculty and about the disparities in policy and healthcare access in the U.S. and Peru from political science faculty members. In the second semester, the students develop research skills in both STEM disciplines and the social sciences: laboratory research skills in biology and chemistry, and survey methodology in political science. The students develop an evidence gathering plan, design a survey, and seek an IRB approval in preparation for their global research experience over the summer.During the summer, the students first interview women in urban and rural areas of Peru about factors contributing to their health, such as access to healthcare and nutritional habits.During the culminating, third semester of the program, the students analyze their survey data, present their results at conferences and develop leadership skills. They also examine barriers to success for women in STEM. We expect this combination of regular course work with a summer research component, international field study, and leadership training to be an effective way to increase success and retention rates of undergraduate students in the STEM fields at MSMU.This program is a model for future research topics thus creating a sustainable and meaningful undergraduate research training.Support or Funding InformationMSMU LA Presidential FundThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.