Research Internship Program Research Articles

The Importance of a Diverse Research Staff and Its Potential Impact on the Enrollment of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Clinical Research Studies

Health care disparities may originate in clinical trials when particular members of the population (lower socioeconomic status, race, or gender) are not adequately represented for a specific drug, device, or procedure. In 2022, Abbott provided a $1.5 million Diversity in Clinical Trials Initiative grant to the Institute for Health Equity at Norton Healthcare to encourage diversity in research. The Norton Healthcare Advancing Research through Inclusivity, Sustainability, and Equity (ARISE) Medical Research Internship Program was founded at Norton to foster and maintain a diverse and well-rounded research staff by building referral networks, providing internship opportunities, and empowering individuals. Through innovative strategies established at Norton Healthcare to promote and encourage diversity in research, the goal is to effectively serve and engage the communities from which participants are recruited from.

Sometimes I still do not see myself as a computer scientist: Negotiating a computer science identity as a Latina undergraduate and youth mentor

This study puts forth the counternarrative of the first author Gislaine, a first-generation undergraduate student, Latina, and computer science major. Gislaine participated in a research internship and STEM mentorship program led by the second author, Meredith. Through this program, Gislaine designed and taught CS lessons to predominantly low-income, African-American middle school students over an 8-day urban summer school program. By analyzing Gislaine’s written account of her journey to CS, as well as planning documents and written reflections on her daily experiences mentoring youth, we explore how Gislaine’s intersecting social identities shape her experiences both as a CS learner and as a mentor to youth. Gislaine’s counternarrative illuminates the systems of oppression present in schools and the CS field, while also highlighting Gislaine’s transformative approaches to mentoring students in CS. Gislaine’s narratives emphasize the importance of humanizing CS and leveraging students’ strengths to promote equitable access to CS education. Through her experiences, she underscores the significance of recognizing and addressing systemic barriers, while also advocating for inclusive and empowering educational practices.

Phenotyping adult mice with inducible depletion of sequestosome-1 (p62) in endothelial cells

Macroautophagy (autophagy) maintains intracellular homeostasis by targeting damaged / dysregulated organelles for their transport to and degradation by the lysosome. Autophagy regulated gene 3 ( Atg3) enables autophagosome maturation which is required for the process of autophagy to occur. We reported that inducible depletion of Atg3 specifically in endothelial cells (ECs) impairs arterial function in the absence of metabolic disruptions (Cho et al., Cardiovasc Res, 2023). Sequestosome-1 (p62/SQSTM1) tethers proteins into the autophagic pathway for subsequent lysosomal degradation. The contribution from EC p62 to arterial and metabolic function is unknown and we addressed this. Adult male and female C57BL/6 mice with tamoxifen inducible depletion of p62 specifically in ECs ( p62EC−/−) were compared to littermate controls ( p62EC+/+). p62/18S mRNA expression was lower (p<0.05) in ECs but not vascular smooth muscle cells (VSM) from p62EC−/− [n=6] vs. p62EC+/+ [n=9] mice, whereas Beclin-1/18S was similar in ECs and VSM from both groups. Neither body composition, glucose disposal nor insulin tolerance were impacted by EC specific p62 depletion. Vascular contractile responses to: (i) phenylephrine mediated α1-activation and (ii) potassium chloride evoked L-type Ca2+ channel opening; and relaxation responses to (iii) acetylcholine (endothelium-dependent) and (iv) sodium nitroprusside (endothelium-independent); were similar between groups in mesenteric resistance arteries (isometric myography) and middle cerebral arteries (isobaric myography). Further, intrinsic arterial stiffness was not different between p62EC−/− [n=6] and p62EC+/+ [n=9] mice i.e., neither the elastic modulus nor stress vs. strain curves generated using segments of thoracic aorta were altered. These findings indicate EC specific p62 depletion does not impact arterial function or the indexes of systemic metabolism we measured. Because p62 is upregulated during cellular stress, it is possible that a challenge (e.g., hypoxia, ischemia) might be required to unmask a protective role for intact EC p62 and studies are ongoing to test this. Supported by AHA23PRE1025910 (SM); Rural and Underserved Utah Training Experience T32 (CG), Pacific Islander Research Internship Program (LG), NIHR01HL149870-01A1 (SB) and NIHRO1HL141540 (JDS). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Clinical research nursing pathways: The development and evaluation of a nursing research internship program using the RE-AIM framework

BackgroundIn 2018 a Nursing Research Internship program was started within a major referral and tertiary teaching centre in Australia. AimWe aimed to evaluate the first 12 months of the program using an implementation science framework. MethodsThis was a qualitative study. Following ethical approval n = 20 semi -structured interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Participants included nurses with clinical, research and management roles who had engaged in or supported a Nursing Research Internship program. The Framework Method was conducted to analyse the findings. ResultsKey themes identified included ‘What is the impact of a Nursing Research Internship program?’; ‘Why do a Nursing Research Internship program?’; ‘How do we do a Nursing Research Internship program?’; ‘How do we sustain a Nursing Research Internship program?’. Positive impacts were identified for clinical nurses and their teams, for the hospital and health service, and for patients and families. Identified key components included protected research time, specialist support (including library, statistics, health economist, implementation scientist), regulatory support (ethics and governance procedures) and access to a computer and IT resources. The Nursing Research Internship program required support from nurse clinicians, nurse managers and nurse academics. ConclusionA structured Nursing Research Internship program supports clinical nurses to answer research questions identified directly from clinical practice.

Stakeholder Opinions of The Students' Abilities During the Research Internship Program

Recently, there has been a gap between the skills needed by industry and learning materials in schools that still need to meet expectations. Research internship programs (RIP) viewing as a link that can eliminate these disparities. However, there is no conclusive proof of the learning results of the program. This study seeks to dig deeper into information based on a stakeholder's point of view on the quality of skills demonstrated by students in research internship programs. This research is qualitative. The case study method approach analyzes phenomena in the workplace according to assessment reporting in terms of stakeholder perceptions. Research informants consist of primary, supporting, and critical stakeholders. This paper uses triangulation techniques to reduce data, present data, and draw conclusions. The results of this study indicate that students' readiness and skills affect hard-skill performance but do not significantly affect the results of the research conducted. Stakeholder perception states that schools need more time to be ready to implement research internships based on Ministerial Decree Number 123/M/KPT/2019.

P033 Evidencing the long-term impact of a musculoskeletal Allied Health Professionals and Nurse Research Internship Programme

Abstract Background/Aims The UK-wide AHP and Nurse Research Internship Programme (2015-2022) is an effective, well-recognised model for building musculoskeletal (MSK) research capacity. The programme aim was to encourage and accelerate early clinical academic careers, build confidence and improve research engagement/activity in clinical practice to benefit patients with MSK conditions. We present further evidence of impact of the programme on intern alumni and the higher education institutions (HEIs) since the last evaluation in 2019. Methods Evidence of impact was collated from annual metric surveillance for reporting purposes and an online survey was sent to intern alumni. Seven survey questions were developed to ascertain achievements and career progression since participating in the programme. A purposive sample from the intern alumni were asked to provide additional written reflection. The seven host HEI leads also provided written feedback on their experiences of supervising and/or mentoring interns. Results Since 2015, thirty-nine interns (n = 39) have completed the programme across multiple disciplines - Physiotherapy (n = 13), Podiatry (n = 14), Nursing (n = 4), Radiography (n = 2), Prosthetics & Orthotics (n = 3), Occupational Therapy (n = 3). Metric collation included publications (n = 62), conference attendance/presentations (n = 46), widespread Patient and Public Involvement initiatives and esteem indicators: national awards (n = 4), conference awards (n = 2), PhD fellowships (n = 8). Survey respondents (n = 13) reported faster career progression than their peers, awareness of clinical academic opportunities and involvement in wider collaborative networks with MSK UK researchers. All respondents commented on the positive impact that the programme had on their careers with all having secured, or planning, future clinical academic work. From the intern alumni written reflections (n = 4), a common theme was that the internship provided them with the foundation and networks to progress a clinical academic career in MSK health. The HEI supervisors and/or mentors reported that they had a positive experience in benefitting from working with their interns and each other. For example: “Immensely rewarding, providing a practical foundation for budding clinical academics … also developed my own professional development as an early career researcher progressing to researcher manager”. “It facilitated collaboration between the participating HEIs and directly contributed to ongoing research and outputs in our research centre”. “As an early career researcher, this offered me interviewing, supervision and project management experience alongside publication and collaboration opportunities” Conclusion This evaluation provides further evidence of long-term success of the internship programme as an effective model of research capacity building, specifically in introducing newly qualified AHPs and nurses to MSK research. Tangible benefits have been made for both interns and HEI supervisors and/or mentors through research outputs, clinical academic careers and influencing clinical practice. We have provided a model for research capacity building in other health professions nationally and internationally. Disclosure M. Fry: None. J. Gavin: None. A. Finney: None. M. Ndosi: None. F. Cramp: None. J. Lewis: None. R. Barn: None. C. Price: None. H. Siddle: None. G. Lang: None. E. Leach: None. C. Bowen: None.

O42 - If you build it - they will come: Innovative approaches to Graduate recruitment, retention and development

The aim of this Graduate Program innovation was to develop a curriculum inspired by contemporary approaches to theoretical, clinical and professional development. Based on feedback from previous graduate programs and the broad interests of our newly qualified midwives (NQM), we developed an innovative, individualised graduate program that supports the different development needs of the NQM and the workforce needs of the organisation and women. The graduate program is a 12-month program at a tertiary women’s hospital. All NQM are employed at 64 hours a fortnight and gain experience in the provision of midwifery care for women during pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period. What is unique about this program is that the NQM, have the opportunity to have placements in specialty areas and programs, such as the a Research Internship program, Midwifery Group Practice, remote or rural placement, a dual degree pathway for midwives graduating from a dual degree university degree and a secondary maternity service. In addition to other clinical areas not included as part of the core program such as Emergency Centre and the mental health unit. Formal evaluation data will be available in June 2022 from the NQM on placement in these areas. Midwifery workforce recruitment and retention is recognised as a global, national and local priority. Ensuring that Graduate Programs inspire and support NQM to reach their full potential as a midwife, whilst developing midwives that can work across all areas and services in midwifery. This program could be transferrable to other graduate programs either in part or as a whole program. Offering a flexible, varied program offers benefits to the health service and the graduate, creating a diverse future midwifery workforce.

The challenges and uncertainties when hand measuring F1/F2 values in child speech: Towards an automated approach

Vowels serve a critical role in understanding the acoustic properties of speech. Since they appear early in speech development, they can be used to assess important speech milestones. Prior literature provides the empirical foundation for understanding expected F1/F2 values for typically developing children. Although the traditional measurement of the first and second formant frequencies is a widely accepted practice, its clinical use is limited because of the challenges and uncertainties that are encountered during the process. Automated tools have been developed to address these limitations, however many of these tools have been reported to have inconsistencies when identifying F1/F2 values for child speech. This study explores the use of three semi-automated measurement methods: Wavesurfer Linear Predictive Coding, Praat formant tracking, and a lab-developed approach. The speech of six, native English-speaking, four-year-old children with no history of hearing or speech disorders was analyzed. 48 words, including eight American English vowels, were measured using the three approaches by two researchers, an undergraduate researcher, and an experienced research mentor. The challenges, procedural observations, and accuracy of the methods are discussed. This project was supported by the SURIEA summer research internship program.

Two-Year College Students Report Multiple Benefits From Participation in an Integrated Geoscience Research, Coursework, and Outreach Internship Program

Objective: Despite the availability of high-paying, high-demand careers, few women and students from underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities enter undergraduate programs understanding what the geosciences are and associated available career opportunities. This problem is compounded for students from backgrounds underrepresented in the United States. High-impact practices, such as mentoring, internships, undergraduate research experiences, and cohort-building, increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and math at 4-year institutions. What is not yet clear is the impact these interventions have on underrepresented students at two-year colleges, where the STEM pathway has become a main postsecondary school entry point for these students due to the affordability, flexibility, and academic support provided. Therefore, we designed, implemented, and researched a year-long program providing underrepresented students at a two-year college exposure to several of these experiences. Methods: We interviewed program participants about their perceptions and experiences in the program. Analysis proceeded using constant comparison. Results: Participants reported benefits from networking opportunities, gains in confidence, and gains in job skills, while some reported challenges for participation such as communication and time expectation conflicts; participants also struggled to balance the program with employment needs on top of school requirements. Different aspects of the program benefited different students, suggesting that all of these experiences could support recruitment and foster interest in geoscience for underrepresented students at two-year colleges. Conclusion: We conclude with implications for future research, program enhancements, and time constraint and mentoring needs related to characteristics of two-year college students.

Summer Research Internship for High School Students Pivots to Remote Model Emphasizing Science Reading, Writing, and Interpretation Skills in the Wake of COVID‐19‐Related Disruption

To increase opportunities for participation in authentic research experiences for high school students, we previously developed a collaborative Summer Research Internship Program between California State University, Sacramento (Sac State) and Sacramento Country Day School (SCDS). Outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted our original plans for the Internship Program in summer 2020; thus, we redesigned the Program as a remote internship focusing on science reading, writing, and interpretation skills in order to continue providing an authentic research experience for our high school interns. During the first three years of the Program, we focused on hands‐on participation in physiology research to expose students to an academic research environment and to explore mechanisms for mentoring students in early phases of the STEM pipeline. As we planned for our fourth summer, we originally aimed to expand the Program by increasing the number of high school students placed in research labs at Sac State. With on‐campus research severely limited due to COVID‐19, we instead worked with the mentoring professors at Sac State to pivot the Program's emphases and create a remote internship experience. Feedback gathered from previous student interns indicated their desire to be more involved in the entire scientific process and learn how to read, write, analyze, and communicate data for a scientific audience. We embraced the unexpected turn of events due to the COVID‐19 pandemic as an opportunity to focus on these skills and continue providing authentic research experiences, even if we were not able to conduct traditional, hands‐on laboratory research with the student interns. Three Sac State mentors and five student interns participated in the remote version of the Internship Program in summer of 2020. Student interns participated in a wide range of training activities, including the following: quantitative data analysis, statistics and computer coding tutorials, strategies for reading scientific manuscripts, journal club presentations, protocol development, writing funding proposals, literature search techniques to develop new lines of inquiry, and oral communication of science. At the conclusion of the Program, informal feedback from the student interns indicated general satisfaction with the remote internship model; they valued the opportunity to learn and practice science reading, writing, and interpretation skills and felt they were truly members of their research teams. However, they also commented their research experiences were not as impactful as they could have been, since they could not conduct hands‐on experiments in the laboratory. For future iterations of our Internship Program, either in‐person or remote, including a component that emphasizes science reading, writing, and interpretation skills merits consideration based on positive feedback from the initial pilot of this component during our pivot to a remote internship model due to COVID‐19.

Lessons From the First Decade of the Native American Summer Research Internship at the University of Utah.

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations are facing multiple health crises, including limited access to care, high rates of chronic disease, and early mortality that is far worse than other underrepresented minorities in the United States. According to the Association of American Indian Physicians, AI/AN people represent 2.0% of the U.S. population but only 0.2% of medical students and 0.1% of full-time faculty at MD-granting institutions. Increasing the number of AI/AN clinicians and scientists is one strategy to improve health outcomes in the AI/AN population and address these crises. In 2010, the University of Utah partnered with research, cultural, and professional mentors to create a 10-week summer Native American Research Internship (NARI) program for AI/AN college students across the United States who are interested in pursuing biomedical careers. NARI attracts and supports AI/AN students by offering mentored summer research internships in an innovative, culturally aware framework that adapts to observed challenges to optimize educational experiences and support biomedical career aspirations. During the first decade of the NARI program, 128 students from 22 U.S. states, representing 46 tribal nations and 57 colleges and universities, participated. Of those 128 students, 113 (88%) have completed a bachelor's degree and the remaining 15 (12%) are currently working toward a bachelor's degree. No NARI student has dropped out of college. Twenty-six (20%) NARI alumni have matriculated to medical school and 30 (23%) to graduate school. Eight (6%) participants have completed medical school, and 3 (2%) are pursuing a PhD in science. An additional 36 (28%) have gained employment in biomedical research fields. The NARI program has increased the participation of AI/AN students in medicine and the biomedical sciences. The innovative, culturally aware, and adaptive framework is a model for other programs for AI/AN students and students in other underrepresented communities.

Building research capacity in musculoskeletal health: qualitative evaluation of a graduate nurse and allied health professional internship programme

BackgroundEvidence based practice enhances service planning and delivery, clinical decision making and patient care. However, health professionals often lack the time and opportunity to access or generate evidence. Research capacity building is thus an important mechanism for improving health service delivery. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a UK-wide Nurse and Allied Health Professional musculoskeletal research internship programme in which graduates applied to undertake their internship through one of five Higher Education Institutions. The evaluation explores the experiences of interns and their mentors.MethodsSixteen new graduates completed the internship programme (September 2015 – August 2018). Twelve interns and thirteen mentors participated in the evaluation. The evaluation used qualitative asynchronous email-based interviews to explore the experiences of interns and mentors. Interpretive phenomenological analysis of coded transcripts identified principal themes.ResultsEarly research outputs from the interns include three peer reviewed publications and 21 conference abstract presentations. Two interns were in full time research at the time of interview or had a research component in their clinical role. Nine interns in clinical posts disclosed plans to return to research in the near future. Seven themes were identified: the impact on interns’ careers; personal impact (for example, influence on self-confidence); impact on clinical practice; drivers for applying; intervention design (for example, attitudes concerning the timing and duration of the intervention); mentorship and networking (including general support provided and quality of career advice); challenges.ConclusionThe internship programme is an effective model in building research capacity in musculoskeletal research for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals, influencing careers, building confidence and improving clinical practice. The internship programme has the potential to be replicable to other clinical contexts nationally and internationally.

SWEP’d up for the Summer: Survey of participants’ experiences of a nursing student research internship

Background: Queen’s University (Ontario, Canada) has been offering the Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP) - a subsidized work opportunity for university undergraduate students - since 1995. The Queen’s University Nursing and Health Research Internship program, established in May 2017, involves nursing SWEP students. The program was designed to build research knowledge and experience for nursing students. The aim of this article is to describe the program components, and intern and faculty insights.Methods: To obtain feedback from current and past interns and faculty, an electronic survey was distributed. Data were analyzed for common themes.Results: Themes consolidated from interns (n = 4) included challenges as learning opportunities, new perspectives on research, and successes and opportunities. Themes that emerged from faculty (n = 7) were program challenges and successes, and needs and concerns of interns.Conclusions: Overall, interns and faculty members perceived the program as a valuable learning experience. Suggestions for program development and potential changes are discussed from both an intern and faculty perspective. Further recommendations for program development are explored, with potential changes for future offerings.

Collaborative Summer Research Internship Program Engages High School Students in Authentic Physiology Research Experiences

Participation in authentic research experiences is increasingly recognized as a high‐impact educational practice for undergraduate students and is associated with improvements in student learning, engagement, retention, and persistence in STEM fields. The benefits of authentic research participation for high school students have been less well‐studied. We developed a collaborative Summer Research Internship Program for high school students between California State University, Sacramento (Sac State) and Sacramento Country Day School (SCDS) emphasizing participation in physiology research. Our primary aims were to expose students to an academic research environment, explore mechanisms for mentoring students in early phases of the STEM pipeline, and strengthen connections between Sac State and SCDS. The Program targeted 11th and 12th grade students with an interest in pursuing science‐related careers. We piloted the Program in the summer of 2017 with one student interning in a cell physiology lab, followed by the official launch of the Program in the summer of 2018 with three students interning in two labs (cell physiology and neurophysiology). The Program grew to four mentors with a total of six students by the summer of 2019 and has expanded to include physiology, chemistry, and zoology labs. We gathered responses from all student interns to survey questions regarding their experiences with the Program. Before students began their internships, their expectations focused on learning what exactly research entails and generating a useful addition to their college applications. Student expectations at the onset of the Program closely matched our aim of providing an initial research exposure. Interestingly, when students reported their takeaways at the end of their internships, they noted different outcomes than their initial expectations. Student interns said they gained more far‐reaching benefits than mere exposure to research. These included a deeper appreciation for the time and effort required to complete a successful research project, the supportive and collegial relationships with their lab mates and research mentors, and the flexibility and ingenuity required in the research environment. Although a few students reported their internships made them more interested in pursuing a research career, even those who did not said they learned about the importance of research in their intended career path. We identified several other unexpected outcomes. Although the student interns differed in age by at most three years, this significantly impacted how we tailored the internship to each student. In addition, the interns expressed interest in learning how to analyze and communicate data for a scientific audience. Based on the interns’ desire to be more involved in the scientific process, we intend to expand the current Internship Program to include an associated academic class at SCDS, focused on the reading, writing, analytical, and communication processes of science. We also aim to involve more research labs to increase student participation in the Program, and we will explore the possibility of students continuing their internships into the academic year to allow more in‐depth and sustained research experiences.

Perspectives from Students in the Native American Summer Research Internship Program

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) undergraduate students by examining Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) experiences and identifying potential challenges or barriers to visualizing careers in science and health. This study is important because it provides narratives from AI/AN people, who have been historically marginalized in research. Methods: Focus group discussions about health disparities in AI/AN communities and access to biomedical science education and employment were run with AI/AN undergraduates from the United States of America who were participating in an internship program at the University of Utah during Summer 2018. Results: The main themes touched on were lack of education and resources, limited academic mentorship, and misconceptions about health disparities in AI/AN communities. Students identified forces that work to limit indigenous representation in the biomedical workforce, which included limited exposure to quality education, lack of support and encouragement from academic advisors, lack of mentorship, navigating the cultural significance of the human body in settings where the body is used for medical instruction, and being disconnected geographically from their land and community. Students expressed that it was difficult to maintain both a scientific and tribal identity, highlighting the violent history that western-led research efforts have had with AI/AN people and the misconceptions about indigenous individuals and their health. Conclusions: It is vital that AI/AN people have a more proportionate rate of biomedical professionals and physicians because these healthcare professionals will provide more culturally competent care for AI/AN people than the general population.

Proceedings of the 6th Annual United States Army Institute of Surgical Research Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program 2018

Proceedings of the 6th Annual United States Army Institute of Surgical Research Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program 2018

Students and Faculty Perceptions of an Undergraduate Nursing Research Internship Program

Nursing students in baccalaureate programs report that research is not visible in practice, and faculty conducting research report rarely interacting with students in undergraduate nursing programs. We examined student and faculty perceptions of a research internship embedded in an existing evidence-based practice course. Students (n = 15) and faculty (n = 5) viewed the internship as a positive experience that provided meaningful hands-on skills while generating interest in a potential research career. The internship also provided faculty the opportunity to identify potential doctoral students.

Patient and family engagement in Alberta Health Services: Improving care delivery and research outcomes.

Engaging patients and families in research and the design of quality improvement is an essential component of Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC). Alberta Health Services (AHS) has been engaging patients and families to promote a cultural shift towards PFCC. The AHS trains patient and family advisors to share their experiences and encourages staff to work with advisors to co-design improvements in care. This article briefly describes the role and growth of patient and family advisors, advisory groups, and the participation of advisors in research initiatives through AHS' Strategic Clinical NetworksTM. It also describes recent efforts to build AHS' patient and family engagement capacity by introducing standard patient engagement training, supporting the creation of the innovative Patient and Community Engagement Research internship program, and by developing tools to measure the impact of patient and advisors on AHS. And finally, this article provides key learnings for health leaders.

Proceedings of the 5th Annual United States Army Institute of Surgical Research Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program 2017

Proceedings of the 5th Annual United States Army Institute of Surgical Research Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program 2017

Water Quality Monitoring of an Urban Estuary and a Coastal Aquifer Using Field Kits and Meters: A Community-Based Environmental Research Project

Water quality is an important interdisciplinary environmental topic for project-based learning. An undergraduate summer research internship program at a public minority serving institution engaged environmental science majors in community-based research experiences. The research focused on the field monitoring of water quality for surface water and groundwater in urban areas of New York and New Jersey that have been heavily impacted by industrialization and urbanization. Groups of students collected water samples from the tidal section of the Passaic River and the Hackensack River, as well as the Newark Bay in New Jersey. Groundwater samples were also collected from a sandy coastal aquifer located in the East Shore of Staten Island, New York. Students analyzed water samples using a portable pH-EC meter, a portable colorimeter, or field test kits for various water quality parameters in the field or laboratory. Students prepared and presented research posters in conferences and at a local community event. T...