Summer Research Experience Research Articles

An undergraduate research experience in earth science education that benefits pre-service teachers and in-service earth science teachers

Three cohorts of six pre-service Earth Science teachers (undergraduate majors in Earth Science Education) participated in summer research experiences focused on developing dynamic physical models of Earth processes to help middle and high school students understand complex concepts and confront misconceptions. The pre-service teachers used published criteria for evaluating models. Participants deepened their understanding of specific Earth Science concepts and broadened their perceptions of effective, student-centered, constructivist pedagogical practices through the use of models and model-based learning. Our pre-service Earth Science teachers achieved the same benefits that STEM majors report from their undergraduate research experiences, including better understanding of the nature of science, gains in problem-solving and communication skills, increased confidence, collaborative skills and comfort in working independently. Evaluation of the research experience via the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment indicated that pre-service teachers reported higher gains than STEM majors in nearly all categories. The pre-service teachers presented the results of their projects to in-service teachers in professional development workshops at a science teachers’ conference. In-service teachers’ responses to these workshops were uniformly positive (98.2%; n = 57). Unlike most professional development activities in which participants benefit, but presenters may not, these professional development activities benefited participants and presenters alike.

Bioinformatics and 3D Structural Analysis of the Coronavirus Main Protease Active Site Diversity

Coronaviruses (Coronaviridae) such as SARS‐CoV‐2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) and MERS‐CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) have been the source of recent outbreaks and global health concerns. While vaccines have been essential for controlling the SARS‐CoV‐2 (COVID‐19) pandemic, it is uncertain whether they will be effective against future coronavirus strains. Therefore, identification or design of a broad‐spectrum drug that targets highly conserved regions of the main protease of multiple coronavirus strains is essential in the long term. As part of a virtual summer research experience with the RCSB PDB, bioinformatics tools were employed to predict and construct 3D models of the coronavirus main protease (MPro) using SARS‐CoV‐2 as the template, with a focus on mutational trends and active sites. This study focused on the active sites of MPro, a cysteine protease essential for viral assembly and replication. Sequence alignments and structure modeling of MPro structures has identified conserved regions across multiple coronavirus strains. Inhibition of MPro halts coronavirus replication, making it an ideal drug target, and studies of MPro may foster and accelerate the discovery of high affinity broad‐spectrum drugs.

An influence among influences: The perceived influence contribution scale development and use

Many youth programs seek [DW1] to understand their influence over time on participant outcomes. This paper offers a methodology for measuring a participant’s perception of a program’s contribution amid their perception of other youth influences such as those from family, school, peer groups, hobbies, and other organized activities. The instrument built on the large body of work on youth influences in order to capture the dominant factors in development of the item bank. In addition to item development, the paper documents face validity followed by content assessment of items using a research panel, a principal component analysis using a second panel, and a full pilot with older teens in other summer intensive programs. The scale’s implementation for baseline and annual follow-up measures of an intensive summer research experience revealed stable and high relative contribution to older teen participants’ academic and career decision making over time. The final scale includes 19 items in 6 factors of family & religion; interests organized by others; adult responsibilities; school; arts; and interests organized by self. The scale proved to be responsive to changes in influences while remaining stable over time

Cultural identity central to Native American persistence in science

Native Americans are the least represented population in science fields. In recent years, undergraduate and graduate level summer research programs that aimed to increase the number of Native Americans in science have made some progress. As new programs are designed, key characteristics that address science self-efficacy and science identity and provide supports for Native American students’ commitment to a scientific career should be considered. In this study, we used sequential mixed methods to investigate the potential of culturally tailored internship programs on Native American persistence in science. We analyzed surveys (n = 47) and interviews (n = 4) with Native American students to understand their perceptions of themselves in relation to science research and how summer research experiences might develop science identities. Based on regression modeling, science identity, but not science self-efficacy, predicted intent to persist in science. In turn, science self-efficacy and Native American identity predicted science identity, and this suggests cultural identity is central to Native American persistence in science. In interviews, students’ comments reinforced these findings and shed light on students’ reasoning about the kinds of science experiences they sought; specifically, they chose to participate in culturally tailored internships because these programs provided a sense of belonging to the scientific community that did not conflict with their cultural identities. Based on our analysis, we propose an Indigenous science internship model and recommend that agencies target funding for culturally tailored programs from high school through early-investigator levels as well as provide inclusive programmatic and mentoring guidelines.

A model for an undergraduate research experience program in quantitative sciences

We developed a summer research experience program within a freestanding comprehensive cancer center to cultivate undergraduate students with an interest in and an aptitude for quantitative sciences focused on oncology. This unconventional location for an undergraduate program is an ideal setting for interdisciplinary training in the intersection of oncology, statistics, and epidemiology. This paper describes the development and implementation of a hands-on research experience program in this unique environment. Core components of the program include faculty-mentored projects, instructional programs to improve research skills and domain knowledge, and professional development activities. We discuss key considerations such as effective partnership between research and administrative units, recruiting students, and identifying faculty mentors with quantitative projects. We describe evaluation approaches and discuss post-program outcomes and lessons learned. In its initial two years, the program successfully improved students’ perception of competence gained in research skills and statistical knowledge across several knowledge domains. The majority of students also went on to pursue graduate degrees in a quantitative field or work in oncology-centric academic research roles. Our research-based training model can be adapted by a variety of organizations motivated to develop a summer research experience program in quantitative sciences for undergraduate students.

Building a biomedical pipeline: the impact of the Idaho IDeA INBRE summer research experience at a primarily undergraduate institution.

Idaho Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) aims to build biomedical research capacity and enhance the scientific and technology knowledge of the Idaho workforce. A key INBRE Program at The College of Idaho, a primarily undergraduate institution of 1,100 students, is a 10-wk summer fellows research experience. This report documents outcomes from 2005 to present, including demographic trends, faculty and student research productivity, self-reported gains, educational attainment, and career outcomes. Of 103 participants, 83.7% were from Idaho, 26.7% from rural areas, and 23.9% first-generation college students. Faculty and student research productivity (conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications) increased threefold. We found that 91.4% of fellows entered a scientific- or healthcare-related career and that 70.7% completed or are currently enrolled in postgraduate training (51.7% doctoral and 19.0% master's level). Anonymous surveys were uniformly positive, with gains in self-confidence and independent laboratory work. Open-ended responses indicated students valued mentoring efforts and improved awareness of scientific opportunities and competitive preparation for postgraduate training. Lastly, we observed that student research involvement increased college-wide during the award period. These data suggest that the summer fellows program is successfully meeting National Institutes of Health IDeA goals and serving as a pipeline to future health research careers and a scientifically trained Idaho workforce.

Authentic Marine Research Experiences for Low-Income and First Generation High School Students Used to Level the Playing Field and Decrease Attrition in STEM

Summer research experiences are often life-changing for first generation high school students of color, especially in the marine biology field. The University of Southern California (USC) Leslie and Bill McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative (USC NAI) partners with STEM professionals, laboratory scientists, local marine-based field sites, marine educators, and laboratory managers to facilitate hands-on, inquiry-based research and learning experiences for the high school students that participate in their program. These partnerships collaborate with instructors to deliver an ocean research methods course to the students. The learning goals of the course include providing the foundational scientific skills needed to succeed in the STEM workforce and learning about various marine related careers. As a result of the ocean research methods course and other STEM interventions with USC NAI, 42% of NAI grads who have gone to USC have declared a STEM major as freshmen since 2013.

Cultivating a New “SEED”: From an On-Ground to Online Chemistry Summer Camp

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Project SEED (Summer Experiences for the Economically Disadvantaged) program has been exposing students to chemistry-related research for over half a century. The program was created and designed to recruit and prepare high school students from economically challenged households to explore and build their confidence in chemistry and STEM, enter college, and hopefully pursue a STEM career. Historically, the students engaged in a summer research experience on college campuses, industrial laboratories, or government facilities, working alongside a scientist mentor. However, the 2020 summer on-campus experiences were not possible due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Thus, even after the program planning and recruitment for the experience was well underway, the program pivoted to a virtual camp. The camp’s format was substantially different from the on-campus experiences, with 291 students nationwide participating in webinars, small group discussions, and completing assignments based on a schedule with due-dates. Gathering a combination of quantitative and qualitative data before and after the camp revealed increases in the students’ professional skills, STEM identity, and college preparation. We failed to find a change in their professional identity. We determined that students participating in future Project SEED programming could benefit from engaging in a combination of on-campus and online events to experience authentic laboratory research and gain a more global perspective of chemistry careers and the potential for extended networking with other Project SEED participants and alumni.

Cultivating Science Teachers' Understandings of Science as a Discipline.

Current visions of science education advocate that students should engage with science in the classroom in ways that mirror the work of scientists in order to develop science proficiency. For this goal, teachers are tasked with the complex responsibility of supporting students in understanding not only the conceptual knowledge of science, but also its disciplinary practices, norms, and epistemologies. In order for teachers to teach in such ways, they must be afforded opportunities to develop and reflect on their own disciplinary understandings about science. Research Experiences for Teachers’ (RETs) programs, in which teachers engage in research with scientists, may be fertile contexts for the development of teachers’ robust understandings about science. As such, the purpose of this naturalistic single-case study is to explore the ways in which one elementary teacher (Ava) describes shifts in her disciplinary understandings about science after participating in a 6-week summer Research Experience for Teachers’ program. Through examination of interviews and observations, this study takes a critical event narrative analysis approach to unpack the ways in which Ava interprets certain disciplinary understandings about science in light of events during her research experience that to her had lasting and important impact on her understandings of science. We conclude by discussing the implications of this work for research and professional development design.

Building a virtual summer research experience in cancer for high school and early undergraduate students: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic posed a unique challenge for summer research programs in 2020, particularly for programs aimed at hands-on experience for younger trainees. The Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center supports two pipeline programs, which traditionally immerse high school juniors, seniors, and early undergraduate students from underrepresented populations in science in hands-on projects in cancer biology labs. However, due to social distancing policies during the pandemic and reduction of research operations, these students were not physically allowed on campus. Thus, the authors set out to strategically pivot to a wholly virtual curriculum and evaluate the Virtual Summer Research Experience in Cancer outcomes.MethodsThe virtual program included four components: 1. a core science and professional development curriculum led by high school teachers and senior undergraduates; 2. faculty-delivered didactic sessions on cancer science; 3. mentored, virtual research projects with research faculty; and 4. online networking events to encourage vertical mentoring. Outcomes data were measured using a locally created 11-item Research Preparation Scale, daily electronic feedback, and weekly structured evaluation and feedback via Zoom.ResultsOutcome data suggested high self-reported satisfaction with the virtual program. Outcome data also revealed the importance of coordination between multiple entities for seamless program implementation. This includes the active recruitment and participation of high school teachers and further investment in information technology capabilities of institutions.ConclusionsFindings reveal a path to educate and train high school and early undergraduate students in cancer research when hands-on, in-person training is not feasible. Virtual research experiences are not only useful to engage students during public health crises but can provide an avenue for cancer centers to expand their cancer education footprints to remotely located schools and universities with limited resources to provide such experiences to their students.

LSAMP-NICE: Expanding International STEM Research for Underrepresented Minorities

Background: The global challenges of climate change, disease and hunger exceed national borders as do possibilities of sustained life, exploration and economic development in outer space. Both help to underscore the need for sustained international STEM research to leverage the talent embedded in different countries and in diverse groups within countries. This study focuses on the United States National Science Foundation provision of funds to its Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program to create a National Center of Excellence LSAMP-NICE for the establishment of international STEM Research Partnerships with a particular emphasis on the integration of international collaborative research for underrepresented minority STEM faculty, students and graduates. The study focuses on the diffusion of this Center’s services to the LSAMP Community, a group of 56 LSAMP funded STEM enrichment programs located across the United States. We found that LSAMP-NICE used mass media (a website and two advertorials in a national journal) and an annual national meeting as its major diffusion strategies during its first two years. Forty-two (42) programs responded to the questionnaire. The majority of the respondents (71.4%) had not used the website; 88.1% had not read the Advertorial in Science Magazine; and 78.6% did not attend the national 2019 LSAMP-NICE Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Our study suggests a need for additional diffusion techniques to reach the intended audience. Some respondent suggestions for diffusion include participation by LSAMP-NICE representatives at LSAMP Regional Conferences and Symposia, visits by LSAMP-NICE staff to LSAMP programs, forging relationships with higher education institutions abroad so LSAMP students can obtain summer or longer-term research experiences and providing technical assistance on applying for international travel funds.

Research experiences and online professional development increase teachers' preparedness and use of effective STEM pedagogy.

Many national reports call for K-12 teachers to increase their content knowledge, expertise in student-centered learning methods, and skills in working with an increasingly diverse student population. Historically, most teacher professional development (PD) has not addressed these multiple challenges. We evaluated two PD models-research experiences for teachers and online PD-for their comparative impacts on middle and high school teachers' understanding of, preparedness to use, and actual use of proven STEM teaching methods and STEM career information. The programs were unique in their focus on equipping teachers with a pedagogical "tool kit" that supports ongoing changes in teaching and assessment methods, STEM content, use of technology, and working with diverse students. Findings indicate that both program models increased teachers' preparedness to use and their frequency of use of the targeted STEM teaching methods. Teachers who had summer research experiences gained additional benefits.

Undergraduate research programs build skills for diverse students.

While many professional societies, colleges, and universities offer undergraduate summer research experience (URE) programs for students, few have systematically evaluated their programs for impacts on the fellows. The American Physiological Society (APS) developed and administered multiple UREs with varying target groups: students with and without prior research experiences and students from disadvantaged groups, including underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities (URM), persons with disabilities, first generation college students, and persons with financial or social disadvantages. Each program had specific goals and measurable objectives. To assess the impact of these programs, APS both documented student completion of program tasks (e.g., designing experiments, analyzing data, writing abstracts) and developed reliable and valid survey instruments to quantify students' self-ratings on a variety of research and career planning skills related to the program objectives. Results indicate that fellows as a whole and for most individual programs gained skills and knowledge in numerous areas: experimental design, data management, lab safety, statistical analysis, data presentation, scientific writing, scientific presentation, professional networking, professional networking at scientific meetings, authorship attribution, animal use in research, human subjects in research, roles of lab mates and mentors, and research career training and planning. Furthermore, there were few differences within the diversity comparison groups (women vs. men, URM fellows vs. non-URM fellows, etc.). Suggestions for improvement of URE programs are proposed.

Cihuātocameh (Spiderwomen) Weaving Twenty Years of Transformative Justice Work in Higher Education

While the student population in higher education has become more ethnically diverse the professoriate in universities remain predominantly of European descent. Reflecting this disparity of representation within the context of higher education in the United States, women faculty of color continue to experience tokenization, among other dissolutions. Within this inequitable context, we continue to find ways to resist these moments of fragmentation. We draw upon an analogy of spider weaving as a way to re-member the fragmented parts of being Women of Color scholar activists in the academy. In this paper, two Xicana Indigenous scholars highlight moments of resistance and transformation in the past 20 years of engagement with higher education. We begin with an undergraduate summer research experience and continue to the present moment as assistant professors. We share the context, our narratives of growth and resilience to unveil effects of the lived realities for Women of Color invested in social transformative justice. We offer a reflective opportunity for those who enter and continue struggling to survive and thrive within academia while navigating the shoals of privilege and marginalization. This awareness can offer a starting point for further discussions focused on the recruitment and retention of Women of Color faculty in the academy.

Engaging Undergraduates in Research Experiences at a Distance: Insights and Recommendations for Remote URE.

Undergraduates phenotyping Arabidopsis knockouts (unPAK) is a biology research network that has provided undergraduate research experiences (URE) since 2010. In 2019, unPAK expanded to include a summer URE that engaged undergraduate researchers from across the network in an intensive collaborative program. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, unPAK rapidly shifted to provide the summer URE program remotely. This article describes (i) the instructional and communication processes of unPAK in the remote URE; and (ii) a summative assessment of the outcomes associated with the remote summer program as compared with the 2019 in-person program. We conclude by offering timely recommendations for educators in biology that emerged from the 2020 remote summer research experience, which may be applicable to other remote UREs and course-based research experiences (CUREs).

Mentor as you'd want to be mentored.

In my first undergraduate research position, I imagined I'd design creative experiments, collect interesting data, and engage in thought-provoking discussions about science. Then reality set in. I spent most of my summer washing glassware, making solutions, and completing basic protocols while my postdoc mentor caught up on email. On the rare occasions when I was instructed to do a real experiment, my brief “training” left me feeling woefully unprepared. But although I learned little science, I learned valuable lessons about mentoring. > “A student's first taste of research can cement their enthusiasm for science.” During my college neuroscience classes, I had been captivated by the complexity of the brain and drawn to a field that addressed some of life's big questions: Who am I? What is consciousness? But my summer research experience left me with serious doubts about whether I was cut out for a career in science. One Saturday, I attempted an experiment my mentor had demonstrated a few days earlier—only to realize I had no idea what I was doing. I did the best I could. When I finished, I was mortified to discover I hadn't used one of the treatment tubes my mentor had prepared. I worked in another lab later in college. The experience wasn't much better and my self-doubts persisted. However, to my surprise, my mentors—along with my teachers—encouraged me to apply to graduate school. I'm grateful, because I might not have had the confidence to carry on otherwise. I'm also grateful because my former mentors, in demonstrating what not to do, showed me how to be a better mentor myself. When I became a graduate student, I made a point of treating the undergraduates I supervised the way I wish I'd been treated. Here are three keys to my approach: MAKE IT INDIVIDUAL. My first mentor never asked me about my career goals—and because they never asked, I assumed they didn't care. I've since learned that in order to mentor effectively, it is critical to start with some simple questions: “Why do you want to do this research? What are you most interested in?” Only then can you form a mutually beneficial plan, forging a connection between the students' goals and your project. It's also helpful to pay attention to the conditions under which your students do their best work. For example, some may appreciate real-time support, but others may feel nervous if you're constantly looking over their shoulder. INVEST TIME. I know it's tempting to relegate tedious tasks to undergraduates and cut corners in training to save valuable time. But investing time up front to explain and demonstrate scientific techniques will benefit everyone: The students will learn more and you'll have more capable assistants. I spend time training my students at the outset. I also supervise them regularly when they first set out to perform experiments on their own, gradually giving them more independence as they grow in ability. This allows me to correct missteps in real time, helping them gain good habits before bad ones develop. DON'T IGNORE THE BIG PICTURE. Colleagues who view undergraduates as “just a pair of hands” often give their students a series of tasks without explaining the big-picture goals of the research. I think that's a big mistake. Students will get much more out of a research experience if they have “aha!” moments—if they can see their tasks in the context of broad scientific concepts and questions. You also stand to benefit because knowledgeable students will be more invested in your work, and they will be better able to troubleshoot experiments if problems arise. For everyone's sake, treat your students as you'd like to be treated: as a valued scientific colleague, not a pair of hands. I'm glad I persisted in science despite lackluster early research experiences. But I worry others won't be so lucky. A student's first taste of research can cement their enthusiasm for science or discourage them for good, so it's important to make it rewarding.

Change Is Inevitable

Change Is Inevitable

Undergraduates Graph Interpretation and Scientific Paper Reading Shift from Novice- to Expert-like as a Result of Participation in a Summer Research Experience: A Case Study

Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) programs often introduce students to scientific research and STEM career possibilities. However, the program impact on students and their research skill development is not well understood. In a case study with 10 REU students, the authors used eye-tracking and self-report data to determine student strategies for reading scientific papers and interpreting graphs at the beginning and end of the program. The strategies of REU students and science experts were then compared. The REU students changed their strategies and performed more like experts at posttest. These findings indicate that, during the REU, students acquired expert-like strategies necessary to engage with scientific articles and extract key information from graphs. The study demonstrates that eye-tracking can document skill growth in REU students.

Preparing Undergraduate Students for Summer Research Experiences and Graduate School Applications in a Pandemic Environment: Development and Implementation of Online Modules.

Engaging students in research is a high impact practice that improves student retention and persistence in behavioral and biomedical sciences and engineering. The California State University Long Beach (CSULB) Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Program offers an intensive research training experience to undergraduate students from a wide range of health-related disciplines. The goal of this program is to provide students with research skills, psychosocial resources, and graduate school application guidance that will make them competitive for Ph.D. programs. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the campus closure of many universities, including CSULB, our student training had to transition from in-person training to online training. This paper discusses the development and implementation of a series of eight online modules for guiding students through the application process for summer research experiences and graduate schools. Overall, the BUILD trainees were positive about the online modules. Specifically, they indicated that the modules were useful, informative, easy to access/use, good use of their time, and a good supplemental activity to their learning community activities. Most trainees indicated that they preferred the modules to be implemented in a hybrid format, where the students can view the modules on their own first and then have an opportunity to engage in in-person/synchronous online discussions.

Undergraduates from underrepresented groups gain research skills and career aspirations through summer research fellowship.

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have proven to be one of the most valuable approaches to increasing the number of underrepresented students earning degrees in STEM fields. However, there are many questions about how these impacts occur. Improving grades, experiencing laboratory work, and working with research staff are important components, but developing a "science identity" is integral to this process. In this qualitative study, interviews with 25 past summer research fellows who are members of groups underrepresented in STEM (underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, first-generation college, and persons with financial or social disadvantages) provide insights into this process. The conversations validate that their summer research experiences helped them attain each of the program objectives, but their experiences differed, in part, based on their prior research experiences. Their narratives emphasized the strong impact that the program had on skills (e.g., research design, data analysis and presentation, time management/organization, writing, speaking, network development, math/statistics), confidence, motivation, and research career aspirations. As fellows learned more about research, they saw its relationship to medicine, and many integrated basic or clinical research into their career plans. Three central themes resulted from the discussions: the need to customize program goals for diverse participants, the pivotal role of the research mentor-student relationship, and the powerful impact of participating in a national scientific meeting. Recommendations for URE programs are proposed.