Summer Research Program Research Articles

Undergraduate Summer Research Program in the Midst of a Pandemic: Insights From the Morehouse College Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Virtual Summer Research Program

Undergraduate Summer Research Program in the Midst of a Pandemic: Insights From the Morehouse College Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Virtual Summer Research Program

“It Seems Like I’m Doing Something More Important”—An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Transformative Impact of Research Experiences for STEM Students with ADHD

Recent studies have suggested a link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and increased creativity and ingenuity. Clinical work suggests that individuals with ADHD generally gravitate toward exploratory rather than exploitative thinking. Yet, these theories have not been tested in the field. This paper is a case study of a transformative undergraduate summer research program that allows engineering students with ADHD to spend 10 weeks in engineering labs at a research-intensive (R1) university. The program intends to show that students with ADHD can excel in engineering and STEM fields when placed in research environments that align with their natural cognitive processes and preferences. Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) on post-program participant interviews, this paper suggests that engineering students with ADHD perceive that they learn more effectively when given the opportunity to explore academic material via hands-on research. The traditional structure of STEM education, with its focus on lectures and rigid curricula, causes significant harm to these students, leading to struggles, anxiety, and even thoughts of dropping out. In contrast, the research environment appears to foster creativity and motivation in students with ADHD, as it allows for exploration, provides real-world problem-solving opportunities, and offers tangible, hands-on experiences. This paper highlights the need for a paradigm shift in engineering pedagogy to better engage with and retain this neurodiverse student population and fully harness their creative potential.

Underrepresented in Medicine Student Perspectives on the Selection of a Summer Research Program.

Many summer research programs (SRPs) for URiM students exist; however, only a few have been established by otolaryngology programs, who have a unique opportunity to provide a diverse experience. We sought to assess URiM undergraduate student perspectives on the most valuable program features that influence decision-making and how this might be useful to otolaryngology programs seeking to establish pathway programs. An externally facing REDCap survey composed of 37 questions in scaled, multiple-choice, and open-ended form. The survey was delivered to applicants via email over two time periods in April 2021 and February 2022. All survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and categorized according to demographic information, program features, and advertising mechanisms. Seventy-one percent of our applicants self-identified as URiM. Over 60% experienced financial hardship, and 31% experienced educational hardship. The single most important feature when selecting a summer research program (SRP) was access to mentorship followed by clinical shadowing and research opportunities. When program features were aggregated into groups, institutional features were the most important, followed closely by funding features. Finally, students prefer to learn about SRPs through their university, followed by social media, despite many students learning about our program through other means. Paid programs with effective advertising, research, mentoring, and clinical shadowing are highly valued by URiM undergraduate students. Understanding student perspectives is critical for programs aiming to address the "leaky pipeline" while being deliberate in their support of underrepresented students. 5 Laryngoscope, 134:637-644, 2024.

Cultural Change, Community, and Belonging: Supporting the Next Generation of Surgeons From Groups Historically Excluded From Medicine.

Cultural Change, Community, and Belonging: Supporting the Next Generation of Surgeons From Groups Historically Excluded From Medicine.

Fresh Ideas: Side by Side Summer Research Program Conference 2021

Side by Side Agency (SBS) is a student-led educational non-profit based in the Greater Toronto Area. We began by providing free virtual tutoring and mentorship for K-12 students to compensate for pandemic-related educational disruptions. When school services returned, we switched gears to focus on persisting barriers to academia for marginalized students primarily addressing inconsistencies in research education across Ontario. Literature on Canadian undergraduate students’ literacy and research skills affirmed our personal difficulties with entering the research field, motivating us to develop a free, accessible, and supportive beginner research program for high school students. The 2021 SBS Summer Research Program (SBS SRP) was developed by undergraduate volunteers and included weekly lessons, workshops, homework, and guest speakers to cultivate research skills and inspire curiosity. Students worked with undergraduate mentors to pursue research projects of their interest in fields such as neuroscience, public health, and sociology. SBS SRP culminated with our conference, where students presented their literature reviews, proposed studies, and informative social media campaigns. Check out our website to view our students’ presentations and learn more.

Evaluation of a Summer Research Program for Medical Students on a Regional Medical Campus

In 2015, the University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth campus implemented a summer research program for medical students between their first and second years of training. The goal of the Medical Student Summer Research Program is to provide support for students who wish to participate in research as part of their medical training and to provide support for faculty for their ongoing research. The program is not a required part of the curriculum and students self-select to participate. We have fostered relationships with faculty mentors from our institution, two regional hospitals, as well as external institutions to support this program. Here we report on attitudes and assessments about this program over the first seven years. Student surveys indicate that the amount of additional stress of taking on a research project is manageable, overall critical thinking skills and communication skills improved by participating in research, and a greater appreciation for the importance and relevance of research to their practice was developed. Faculty survey results indicate that the stress of mentoring is manageable and many faculty report deliverable outcomes such as publications and grant submissions after having mentored students, however there are still some faculty needs that must be addressed. The overall survey results, and the continued support from faculty as mentors, highlight the culture of respect for research, training, and service at the Medical School Duluth and the importance of having a dedicated and sustainable Medical Student Summer Research Program available to our students.

A Student-Centered, Entrepreneurship Development (ASCEND) Undergraduate Summer Research Program: Foundational Training for Health Research.

Increasing the participation of students of African descent and other minoritized populations in the scientific workforce is imperative in generating a more equitable biomedical research infrastructure and increasing national research creativity and productivity. Undergraduate research training programs have shown to be essential tools in retaining underrepresented minority (URM) students in the sciences and attracting them into STEM and biomedical careers. This paper describes an innovative approach to harness students' entrepreneurial desire for autonomy and creativity in a Summer Research Institute (SRI) that has served as an entry point into a multiyear, National Institutes of Health Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (NIH BUILD)-funded research training program. The SRI was designed as an 8-week, student-centered and course-based research model in which students select their own research topics. We test here the effects of SRI training on students' science self-efficacy and science identity, along with several other constructs often associated with academic outcomes in the sciences. The data shown here comprise analysis of four different training cohorts throughout four subsequent summers. We show significant gains in students' science self-efficacy and science identity at the conclusion of SRI training, as well as academic adjustment and sense of belonging. SRI participants also displayed substantially improved retention in their science majors and graduation rates.

Evolution of a Plastic Surgery Summer Research Program: Lessons Learned from Programmatic Evaluation and Quality Enhancement.

From 2013 to 2016, a sole basic science research arm existed. In 2017, a clinical research arm was introduced, with several supplemental activities, including surgical skills curriculum. A formalized selection process was instituted in 2014. Participant feedback was analyzed annually. Long-term outcomes included continued research commitment, productivity, and residency match. The applicant pool reached 96 applicants in 2019, with 85% from outside institutions. Acceptance rate reached 7% in 2020. With adherence to a scoring rubric for applicant evaluation, good to excellent interrater reliability was achieved (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.75). Long-term outcomes showed that on average per year, 28% of participants continued involvement in departmental research and 29% returned for dedicated research. Upon finishing medical school, participants had a mean of 7 ± 4 peer-reviewed publications. In total, 62% of participants matched into a surgical residency program, with 54% in integrated plastic surgery. A research program designed for first year medical students interested in plastic surgery can achieve academic goals. Students are provided with mentorship, networking opportunities, and tools for self-guided learning and career development.

Early exposure to STEM research as a foundational experience for STEM careers

The benefits of undergraduate research to student persistence and success has been established in the literature. Less studied, however, is the long term impact of early exposure to research among students from underserved backgrounds.This qualitative study of undergraduates participating in a unique summer research program uncovers the deeper meaning of the overall experience on the students: from the lab itself, to the mentors, peers, professional development, socials, and the impact of the program staff. Three major themes emerged: (1) Early exposure to research as a foundation for career direction; (2) Relationships with peers and mentors as highly valued; and (3) Development of skills leads to personal and professional growth, and confidence. Additionally, underrepresented students described the value of having minority role models and peers, and the excitement of continuing their research throughout their undergraduate careers. A full compensation package of stipend and housing made a practical difference for several of the participants. This qualitative study offers a deeper understanding of these impacts through the voices of the participants.

Evaluation of a student clinical research education program in addiction medicine

Objective To evaluate an experiential student clinical addiction research program by analyzing its components, evaluation survey data, and scientific outputs. Methods In 1995, we established a summer research program supporting trainees to gain exposure to clinical addiction research careers. This curriculum employed a three-pronged approach that combined mentored research training, didactic education, and clinical observerships for medical students and other trainees to acquire experience with addiction medicine and research. Utilizing the Kirkpatrick model as program evaluation framework, we analyzed evaluation data from programmatic surveys (didactic seminar evaluations, overall program surveys) and conducted qualitative feedback exploration. Results Between 2007 and 2019, 56 trainees and 26 faculty mentors participated in the curriculum. To date, 25 students published 38 papers with their faculty mentor. Analysis of the past 12 years of program evaluation data demonstrated that students highly valued individually-mentored research experiences. They indicated that seminars familiarized them with the foundations of different clinical care models and career trajectories in addiction medicine. Clinical observerships provided students with patient contacts in various multidisciplinary addiction treatment settings. These experiences, perhaps most importantly hearing about patients’ lived experiences, meaningfully informed various research and didactic activities. Conclusions This summer student research program successfully introduced students to addiction medicine and research, manifested by high peer-reviewed publication productivity. While our program engaged and involved committed mentors and inspired mentees to pursue professional paths in addiction research, it did not specifically incorporate attention to equity and diversity into program planning and implementation. Going forward, the program will improve equity by increasing the recruitment of trainees from disadvantaged groups and engaging underrepresented faculty. KEY MESSAGES Summer programs can be effective in engaging medical students and trainees in research early in their trajectory and inspire them to incorporate research into their careers. Programs that integrate experiential addiction research learning, i.e. mentored research activities, didactic sessions, and clinical observerships, can provide trainees with a profound understanding of substance use disorder treatment and research.

Abstracts of “Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC) - Summer Research Program - 2022” presented at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on September 14, 2022

Abstracts of “Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC) - Summer Research Program - 2022” presented at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on September 14, 2022

Advice to Future Participants From Six Cohorts of an Undergraduate Summer Research Program in Atmospheric Science

Advice to Future Participants From Six Cohorts of an Undergraduate Summer Research Program in Atmospheric Science

Mississippi INBRE Outreach Scholars program: adapting a summer scholars program to the virtual world amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mississippi IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (Grant P20GM103476) launched the new Mississippi INBRE Outreach Scholars (MIOS) summer research program in 2019. The program was designed to offer students community outreach and research experiences related to the study of behavioral and health disparities life sciences. The program was adapted in early 2020 to offer the program in a fully online format in the summer of 2020. This article details the program adaptations and discusses program evaluation data related to scholars' perceptions of program benefits and expectations and their confidence in research-related skills. The program evaluation was a mixed-method approach that included a qualitative postprogram survey and a pre-post quantitative survey. Scholars identified technical and communication skill building and resilience as areas of personal growth. Overall, the program met scholars' expectations for the program and significantly improved their confidence on 8 of the 19 (with confidence interval estimated differences from 0.3 to 2.56, where a difference of 1 is an improvement across 1 anchor on a Likert-type scale) various research-related tasks/skills after completion of the program. The analyses presented demonstrated that a combined qualitative and quantitative analysis approach is useful for examining the extent to which programs such as Mississippi INBRE are meeting goals of providing a rich research experience in health disparities for a diverse student body. Future longitudinal data may be examined to explore the long-term impact of MIOS on career preparation and choices and graduate education.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The Mississippi INBRE Outreach Scholars program is a summer research program for Mississippi college students that was successfully adapted to a fully online environment amidst the coronavirus-19 pandemic.

"A Place to Be Heard and to Hear": the Humanities Collaboratory as a Model for Cross-College Cooperation and Relationship-Building in Undergraduate Research.

This article reports findings from a study of laboratory-styled humanities undergraduate research (UR) programming designed to increase access to this high-impact practice, better reaching historically excluded students and less visible institutions. The Humanities Collaboratory (HLAB) is a ten-week summer research program that emerged from the partnership of a research university and the area community college system. Aimed at actively addressing educational inequity, and the more specific lack of access humanities students have to impactful UR opportunities, HLAB offers an intensive humanities research experience to first-generation students, low-income students, and Students of Color currently enrolled in two-year colleges, HBCUs, MSIs, and HSIs. Since the program’s creation in 2018, qualitative data collected from 50 participating students over three years of self-evaluations illustrates why HLAB presents a significant learning opportunity for students and highlights the critical importance of relationship-building in UR. Analyzing students’ responses through the heuristic of communities of practice provides insight into a community-focused UR pedagogy that emphasizes relationality among students, mentors, and institutions. Students detail the importance of collaborative skill-building, opportunities for peer support, networking connections, and possibilities for more holistic personal growth in UR experiences. Our findings describing the benefits of relational UR signal the need for cooperative programming designs that increase access to undergraduate research for humanities students across institutions of higher education.

P11. Improving Plastic Surgery Exposure and Research in Underrepresented Minorities: The Impact of a Philanthropy-based Summer Research Program

P11. Improving Plastic Surgery Exposure and Research in Underrepresented Minorities: The Impact of a Philanthropy-based Summer Research Program

Applying for, Operating, and Renewing a Research Experience for Undergraduates Site Program in Computational Biology

We reflected on our experience in applying for, operating, and renewing a Research Experience for Undergraduates Site program in computational biology from 2016 to 2021 at a metropolitan public university, funded by the National Science Foundation of the U.S.A. Our mistakes during the application process were avoidable in retrospect. Our Interdisciplinary Computational Biology, iCompBio, REU site was a 10-week summer research program that included R and Python coding bootcamps at the beginning and short workshops on various topics interspersed throughout the program. ICompBio was in-person in 2019 and virtual in 2020 and 2021. ICompBio was fortunate to have a team of faculty mentors that were committed to undergraduate research training and recognized the importance of diversity in computational biology. Many students and faculty mentors turned the challenges in virtual REU programs into learning opportunities and had fulfilling research experiences. ICompBio participants reported learning gains higher than average in a 2020 external evaluation for virtual REU sites, particularly in the aspects of Research Self-Efficacy, Science Identity, and Life Utility. Our lessons and experiences may be helpful to other faculty and researchers that are interested in similar programs at their own institutions.

Effects of Dietary Gingerol-Enriched Ginger Supplementation on Distribution of Colon Function Markers in Rats With Diabetic Neuropathic Pain

ObjectivesInflammation and leaky gut may contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP). Ginger has been used in the treatment of a variety of pain disorders for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesic effects. We previously reported that gingerol-enriched ginger (GEG) supplementation suppressed the DNP-induced mRNA expression levels of claudin-3 (tight junction protein), PINK1 (autophagy marker), DRP1 (mitochondrial fission protein), and GFAP (astrocyte marker) in colons. Thus, this study was to further investigate the effects of GEG supplementation on the distribution of function markers in the colon of DNP rats. MethodsMale Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to three groups: low-fat diet (Control), high-fat diet (HFD)+ streptozotocin (DNP), and HFD + streptozotocin + 0.75% GEG w/w in diet (DNP + GEG). Colons were collected and preserved at -80 degrees. The localization and quantity of claudin-3, PINK1, DRP1, and GFAP in colons were determined by cryosectioning, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence confocal microscopy. The protein levels were quantified by the average fluorescence intensity in cross-sections of intestinal crypts within pre-determined regions of interest (ROIs), normalized by the background ROI. The comparisons between groups were made using an unpaired t-test. ResultsCompared to the Control group, the DNP group had higher expression levels of claudin-3 (Control, n = 6; DNP, n = 5; P < 0.005), PINK1 (Control, n = 7; DNP, n = 7; P < 0.05), and DRP1 (Control, n = 6; DNP, n = 7; P < 0.01) in colons of animals. GEG supplementation into diets significantly suppressed DNP-induced expression levels of claudin-3 (DNP, n = 7, DNP + GEG, N = 6; P < 0.05), PINK1 (DNP, n = 7, DNP + GEG, n = 5; P < 0.05), and DRP1 (DNP, n = 7, DNP + GEG, n = 6; P < 0.05) in colons of animals. There were no significant differences in PINK1 expression between the Control group and the DNP + GEG group (p > 0.05). Similar to PINK1 finding, we did not observe the difference in DRP1 expression between the Control and the DNP + GEG group. ConclusionsThese findings show that gingerol-enriched ginger reduces the physiological colonic disruption associated with diabetic neuropathy. Funding SourcesMedical Student Summer Research Program, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX.

Bruins-in-Genomics: Evaluation of the impact of a UCLA undergraduate summer program in computational biology on participating students.

Recruiting, training and retaining scientists in computational biology is necessary to develop a workforce that can lead the quantitative biology revolution. Yet, African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native Americans, and women are severely underrepresented in computational biosciences. We established the UCLA Bruins-in-Genomics Summer Research Program to provide training and research experiences in quantitative biology and bioinformatics to undergraduate students with an emphasis on students from backgrounds underrepresented in computational biology. Program assessment was based on number of applicants, alumni surveys and comparison of post-graduate educational choices for participants and a control group of students who were accepted but declined to participate. We hypothesized that participation in the Bruins-in-Genomics program would increase the likelihood that students would pursue post-graduate education in a related field. Our surveys revealed that 75% of Bruins-in-Genomics Summer participants were enrolled in graduate school. Logistic regression analysis revealed that women who participated in the program were significantly more likely to pursue a Ph.D. than a matched control group (group x woman interaction term of p = 0.005). The Bruins-in-Genomics Summer program represents an example of how a combined didactic-research program structure can make computational biology accessible to a wide range of undergraduates and increase participation in quantitative biosciences.

The Scientific Method as a Scaffold to Enhance Communication Skills in Chemistry

Scientific success in the field of chemistry depends upon the mastery of a wide range of soft skills, most notably scientific writing and speaking. However, training for scientific communication is typically limited at the undergraduate level, where students struggle to express themselves in a clear and logical manner. The underlying issue is deeper than basic technical skills; rather, it is a problem of students’ unawareness of a fundamental and strategic framework for writing and speaking with a purpose. The methodology has been implemented for individual mentorship and in our regional summer research program to deliver a blueprint of thought and reasoning that endows students with the confidence and skills to become more effective communicators. Our didactic process intertwines undergraduate research with the scientific method and is partitioned into six steps, referred to as “phases”, to allow for focused and deep thinking on the essential components of the scientific method. The phases are designed to challenge the student in their zone of proximal development so they learn to extract and ultimately comprehend the elements of the scientific method through focused written and oral assignments. Students then compile their newly acquired knowledge to create a compelling and logical story, using their persuasive written and oral presentations to complete a research proposal, final report, and formal 20 min presentation. We find that such an approach delivers the necessary guidance to promote the logical framework that improves writing and speaking skills. Over the past decade, we have witnessed both qualitative and quantitative gains in the students’ confidence in their abilities and skills (developed by this process), preparing them for future careers as young scientists.

Ligands Binding Peptidoglycan‐Associated Lipoprotein as Biomarkers for Sepsis

Peptidoglycan‐Associated Lipoprotein (Pal) is an outer membrane protein conserved among Gram‐negative bacteria. Pal protein binds to peptidoglycan and several outer membrane and periplasmic proteins as part of the Pal‐Tol complex, a system of interacting proteins that link together the outer membrane, the peptidoglycan layer, and the inner membrane. The Pal‐Tol complex is important for maintaining the integrity of the cell envelope and plays a role in the invagination process during cell division. We proposed to identify small molecules that could disrupt the Pal‐TolB interaction and/or Pal‐peptidoglycan binding, as the two binding sites are thought to overlap. As part of a summer research program, funded by the NSF, our team of researchers used the computational program Dock6 to dock a variety of small molecules from the ZINC database in different rigid and flexible conformations. The small molecules that docked the most favorably were linear polycyclic structures that had alcohol and amine groups, such as FMN, capastat, leucal, and ceftriaxone. We also describe our ongoing efforts to develop a binding assay to test the effect of these small molecules on Pal‐TolB and Pal‐peptidoglycan binding. Due to Pal’s role in cell division and cell envelope integrity, we propose that small molecules that disrupt interactions to Pal’s binding partners could serve as potential antibiotics.