Undergraduate Project Research Articles

Millennials and the contested urban legacy of post-war modernist social housing in the UK

ABSTRACT Attitudes to the European modernist social housing experiments of the 1950s and 1960s are complicated and contested. Once derided as a failed and elitist social project, over the last two decades, there has been growing appreciation of the design principles and ethos of the post-war Architecture of Social Intent (AOSI), assisted by a proactive programme of national conservation protection. In this paper, we reflect on a university action research project to explore what the AOSI might mean to a younger “millennial” generation. Using an undergraduate action-research project from the UK, we explore millennials responses to the idea of the AOSI but also the perceptions of the welfare state associated with it and the state’s changing role in social housing provision. The paper makes a distinctive contribution to the growing literature on changing perceptions of modernist heritage, making a case for wider public engagement with urban change and design aesthetics.

Designing an Electronic Platform for the Distribution and Managing Undergraduate Projects

Our study in this research came as a proposal for an electronic platform to manage projects that graduate the fourth stage through which all tasks were transferred from the traditional system to an electronic system. As the system collects project proposals by the teachers and follows up the process of selecting them by the students, then managing the discussion process and sending the evaluation electronically by the members of the discussion committees and by connecting to the internal network (Router) via mobile or computer to the main database so that the system administrator prints the results The evaluation is processed electronically and submitted to the examination committee. The system was developed structurally according to the principle of the server and the client, and the wireless network was used to connect the system devices to transfer information between the server and the client. The system provided a protection method for system information and a way for users to enter, relying on efficient investigation methods to ensure safe access to all system interfaces. The system was tested on real information for the Computer Science Department, and the system showed its efficiency in achieving the required goals, completing the tasks, and issuing results accurately, quickly and without errors. Programming languages used in the design (C # for design interfaces + SQL Server for distributed database + PHP for web pages)

Evaluating Reddit as a Crowdsourcing Platform for Psychology Research Projects

Background: Online crowdsourcing platforms, such as Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), have become popular alternatives to the ubiquitous student samples used in psychology research. r/SampleSize, an alternative pool on the website Reddit, allows for online participant recruitment without compulsory or immediate payment, making it potentially useful for students, research trainees, and course instructors. Objective: The current study sought to assess the viability of using r/SampleSize as a participant pool by comparing its data characteristics to MTurk and existing lab samples. Method: Two hundred and fifty-six MTurk workers and 277 r/SampleSize participants completed identical questionnaires on demographics, participation motivations, and standard psychology scales. Results: Participants recruited through r/SampleSize reported diverse ages, education levels, income, and employment, although White ethnic background and US residence were predominant. r/SampleSize participants were more internally motivated than MTurk to participate in research and had greater need for cognition but did not differ significantly in altruism or motivation to gain self-knowledge. r/SampleSize data reliability and quality were comparable to MTurk and lab samples across most analyses. Teaching Implications: r/SampleSize can be used to recruit relatively large and diverse samples for undergraduate research projects with minimal setup, labor, and cost. Conclusion: The findings suggest that r/SampleSize is a diverse and viable participant pool.

The Study of Stream Litter Accumulation as a Model for Cross-Disciplinary, Transformative, Affordable, and Scalable Undergraduate Research Experiences in STEM

Undergraduate learning in STEM is enhanced by participation in tractable and relevant research projects. Simultaneously, it is challenging to design meaningful research opportunities that remain affordable, engage students in most aspects of the scientific process, and offer opportunities for transformative learning experiences. We designed a collaborative 12-week undergraduate research project based on the quantification of litter along two urban streams in the Oklahoma City (United States) metropolitan area, addressing a regional issue with global implications. This study engaged six undergraduate students at a low cost with commonly available equipment. Three faculty involved brought expertise in physical stream characterization, ecology, statistics, and mathematical modeling, allowing students to approach data analysis from multidisciplinary and collaborative perspectives. Students participated in nearly all stages of scientific research, including a brief literature survey, data collection and analysis toward addressing research questions, interpretation of results, and presentation at a scientific meeting. Post-project surveys revealed that students held highly favorable perceptions in relation to overarching project goals, including improvements in data management and quantitative analysis, in comprehension of scientific abstracts, in grasping the scientific process, and in skill development toward future career goals. Student perceptions regarding the importance of participation in generating data, interest in future data analysis, and the importance of receiving financial compensation for participation were less favorable and varied. Despite increased interest in conducting future field work, interest in pursuing a career in research was slightly diminished after participation in the project. Evidence of transformative learning existed in the targeted areas of scholarly activity and health and wellness. We discuss the benefits of our study design, including suggestions for improvement and the adaptability of this study for other educational contexts.

Education and Research: A Symbiosis to Better Understand a Novel Coral Disease

Ongoing ecological events, such as new and emerging diseases, provide an important platform for education and research. Field courses and undergraduate research projects can be critical to assisting students with learning scientific skills and career discernment as these experiences provide more one-on-one instruction and an immersive learning environment. A novel coral disease called “Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease” (SCTLD) provided one such opportunity. SCTLD is characterized by rapid progression with entire coral heads dying within 2–3 weeks after initial observation of the onset of symptoms. At a wider geographic scale, the disease has migrated with extreme velocity and has now been documented across the Caribbean from as far North as the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, as far South as St. Lucia, and as far West as Honduras and Belize. Here, I summarize what is currently known about SCTLD and document an educational field course that involved eight undergraduate students with visits to multiple locations along the Florida Keys Reef Tract during the disease progression in March 2019. Students were able to observe sites where SCTLD had been present for over 2 years and sites where the disease was only just emerging for observational comparison. Student educational outcomes from field trips and activities will be discussed. Current research and educational activities can interact to enhance each other, creating a positive feedback loop. Future directions for research, educational opportunities, and their interaction to accelerate understanding of this novel disease are discussed.

Implementation of a Service-Learning Project Focused on Handwashing and Vaccinations Within an Undergraduate Microbiology Laboratory Course.

Two relevant topics in keeping populations healthy are handwashing and vaccinations. Thus, the service-learning project titled “We Are Healthy” campaign was introduced within a microbiology laboratory course with two objectives; our biologists would better understand the importance of these actions by designing activities that engage the student community and to obtain an understanding of the campus community’s behaviors and beliefs concerning these topics. Students designed the campaign to include handwashing stations, pictures of bacterial cultures from swabbing common surfaces, and trivia questions testing their peers’ knowledge of various vaccines, as well as handwashing and vaccination surveys. To assess the impact of the campaign on microbiology students (n = 34), they were provided 10 questions that were scored on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Student gains (score > 3) were reported for depth in knowledge, development of better public speaking skills, and greater respect for volunteers suggesting that the campaign was beneficial. This study subsequently led to the receiving of grants that allowed the continuation of the campaign within the course, the securing of funding for handwashing and hand sanitizing stations and the initiation of new undergraduate research projects.

Biochemical Society 2022 Award winners

Biochemical Society 2022 Award winners

Penerapan Metode Analitycal Hierarchy Process (AHP) dalam Menentukan Judul Skripsi

Thesis is a requirement to obtain undergraduate status (S1) in every university in Indonesia. The term thesis as an undergraduate final project is only used in Indonesia. To complete the thesis, students are required to apply what they learn into an application or application in certain fields, both learning and in the form of computer applications. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is a general theory of measurement used for scale ratios, both from discrete and continuous pairwise comparisons. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) can simplify complex and unstructured, strategic and dynamic problems into its parts, and make variables in a hierarchy (level) the Analytical hierarchical process (AHP) method has the ability to solve multi-objective problems based on comparisons preferences of each element and hierarchy.

Stories of Impact: The Transformative Power of Undergraduate Research

We, along with being guest editors of this issue, are also active researchers in our respective disciplines and the scholarship of teaching and learning. We integrate undergraduate research (UGR) as High Impact Practice (HIP) in most of our research projects, and have personal experiences in which we see all the benefits come to life that have been outlined in the series of papers in this issue. As we read abstracts and considered the organization and content for this issue, we began to notice a pattern in some of the abstracts that aligned with our own work and discussions with colleagues, but is generally not present in a traditional scholarly article. That element is the personal narrative account of impact. We know from the extensive literature cited throughout this issue, as well as the work in this section, that providing high-quality undergraduate research projects has substantial impacts at many levels – for individual students, for cohorts, for departments, colleges, universities, and even systems. We, as scholars, see these impacts every day in our own work and the work of others. However, it is not often captured in peer-reviewed research outside of quotes to support evidence of assessment results (which of course, have their own important place in this work).

Undergraduate Research Embedded Across Course Levels and Types Through Scaffolded Projects

This article explores how to embed an undergraduate research project within a course and summarizes the student experience in courses including undergraduate research. The authors specifically focus on how to modify and alter materials to fit with different course foci and different course levels. We have been leading an interdisciplinary, multi-year research project for the past four years. During that time, we have scaffolded a research project from year to year. Each piece of the project has been embedded within a course. However, the specific course level and content focus has changed from year to year. By embedding a research project within a class, faculty members have a unique opportunity to give their students a high-impact experience and further their own research simultaneously. We have successfully mentored and supervised students in the following formats: a freshman interdisciplinary honors course, two different undergraduate criminal justice courses made up of 5-10 students that were focused around criminological theory testing, individual directed study projects with graduate students, a 30-40 person upper level criminology research methods course, and a freshman individual directed study research project. Throughout all of these modalities, we have kept a core type of course design and course requirements but modified the components and grading criteria as needed for the type and level of course. We will summarize and discuss student assessment data both on their experience in the course as well as their achievement of student learning outcomes.

Growing and Sustaining a Nationwide Course‐based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE): Genomics Education Partnership Enhances Research Opportunities at Diverse Institutions

The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) is a community of practice focused on integrating genomics research experiences into undergraduate curriculum and supporting faculty in this endeavor. Founded in 2006, GEP has grown to over 100 participating two-year and four-year institutions and introduced thousands of students to eukaryotic gene structure, comparative genomics, and genome evolution. GEP members contribute their expertise and enthusiasm to the community through four committees: science and IT, curriculum development, assessment, and professional development and mentoring. Digital communication tools facilitate collaboration in this geographically distributed community while regional nodes enable the development of local initiatives. Our education research is focused on student experiences, attitudes, and learning gains in the CURE setting. An important dimension of CUREs that distinguishes them from the traditional laboratory classroom is iteration: students have opportunities to make mistakes and re-do (Auchincloss et al, 2014). The scaling of undergraduate research from an apprentice model to the classroom, however, poses a major challenge for faculty, creating the need to provide feedback to a large number of inexperienced student researchers. We find that custom bioinformatics tools provide rapid feedback to GEP students and allow for iterative revisions of student projects. Student surveys and focus groups reveal that bioinformatics CUREs foster “formative frustration,” whereby students can safely fail in their original analysis, adjust, recover, and succeed; students value this experience. During the COVID pandemic, GEP has provided an authentic research experience that can be delivered remotely. Bioinformatics resources are available online, as are GEP virtual tutors. Thus, GEP is a viable option for undergraduate research projects even for online learning. We are expanding our repertoire of scientific projects. GEP has partnered with Galaxy to develop G-OnRamp, an open-source platform for constructing UCSC Assembly Hubs and JBrowse/Apollo genome browsers to facilitate collaborative annotation of eukaryotic genomes. These tools allow us to include investigations of the evolution of venom in parasitoid wasps and an investigation of the evolution of genes in Drosophila biochemical pathways. We seek to grow our network of faculty and to increase the diversity of our community by making a variety of training opportunities available, including online mentoring via the QUBES platform and regional node workshops. We have created a supportive community of faculty and welcome new colleagues (no experience necessary!) eager for the challenge of bringing genomics research to undergraduate students at all levels. Faculty interested in joining the GEP can contact us at http://gep.wustl.edu/contact_us.

Purification, biotinylation, and testing of a monoclonal antibody to identify B cells in Trachemys scripta, the red-eared slider turtle

Abstract There is a shortage of research in reptile immunity which is further hampered by lack of reptile-specific reagents. Evidence suggests there are important differences between reptile and mammalian immune strategies and our laboratory is interested in reptile B cell development and function. Our undergraduate research project involved the preparation of a previously developed monoclonal antibody (HL673) that recognizes turtle light chain protein. To begin, culture supernatant from the HL673 mAb murine cell line was received and was applied to a protein A affinity column. Unbound proteins were then washed away, and the bound proteins were removed from the column using low pH glycine-HCl buffer. The purified antibody proteins were collected in fractions, OD at 280nm measured, then positive fractions were pooled and dialyzed. The concentration of the purified antibodies was determined, and reactivity tested using an ELISA plate coated with dilute turtle serum. Dilutions of the purified HL673 were detected by anti-mouse IgG-horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Furthermore, some of the antibody preparation was conjugated to biotin. After dialysis, the HL673-biotin was tested by ELISA with dilute turtle serum and detected by streptavidin-HRP. The newly biotinylated antibody was incubated with blood and spleen samples from both adult and hatchling red-eared slider turtles. Bound antibodies were detected using streptavidin-fluorochrome and B cell populations identified using flow cytometry. Our results showed successful detection of turtle B cells using the labeled mAb in both hatchling and adult turtle cell samples. Future studies will use this reagent to investigate the distribution and function of B cells in reptile gut immunity.

Supporting Students and Faculty In The Implementation Of Capstone Projects Into Programmes In a Pandemic Education Environment

The current Covid environment, with no or limited access to research facilities, has made it impossible for undergraduate students to undertake laboratory-based final year research projects. Lewis (2020) currently offers his students a sector-leading portfolio of 15 different traditional research and capstone project opportunities to choose from. Our aim was therefore to share our knowledge and expertise of research and capstone project opportunities which can be undertaken remotely, and supporting resources, with colleagues globally to enable them to provide meaningful and educationally robust projects for their students. In March-August 2020, online interactive workshops were provided for colleagues. To provide scaffolding and support, Choosing Your Capstone and How to do it guides were created for students and Faculty respectively, and shared globally. Collections of simulations and large publically available datasets were also shared. Follow-up surveys of workshop participants were undertaken in December 2020. This research was approved by the University of Leeds Faculty of Biological Sciences Research Ethics Committee. The workshops attracted over 500 participants. The support resources have been viewed 11,000 times from over 50 Countries. All survey participants, representing 53 Universities within the UK and overseas, found the workshops extremely informative and inspirational. All are implementing multiple formats of non-traditional capstones as alternatives to laboratory-based research projects into their programmes in 2020-21. Eighty-six percent wish to be involved with this initiative going forward. This programme of work has shown the need for alternatives to laboratory-based research projects for students in the Biosciences, not only during the current pandemic, but going forward. By offering a portfolio of both traditional research and non-traditional capstone projects, students can select the project that best provides the experience and develops the skills required for their particular career intentions. We have also developed a global community of practice to take this initiative forward. Lewis DI (2020). Final year undergraduate research project or a “Capstone Experience”? Time for a re-think. Brit J. Clin. Pharmacol. 86 (6): 1227-1228

Integrated studio: a new undergraduate design class project to reimagine future hospital environments

In this paper we reflect on and discuss the curriculum design, results and impact of a new undergraduate design studio class project that introduced students to design for health and wellbeing in a real-world context. Through the Integrated Studio class project, 11 undergraduate final year design students from a range of traditional design disciplines worked as a single team with a large city hospital. Their brief was to rethink the future of a new healthcare facility being built on the hospital campus. The project focussed on how design could be used to facilitate more meaningful ‘health and wellbeing spaces’. This was framed as an opportunity to reimagine the future of care environments. By working collaboratively with key stakeholders, creative processes were used to better understand the needs of users and to challenge existing thinking around what a healthcare facility might look and feel like. Much like a healthcare journey, the design process was a rollercoaster of uncertainty and unknowns. In this paper we reflect on the experiences of the student group. The outcomes of this project show the value of such initiatives to generate new possibilities for healthcare, and to help healthcare organizations think differently about what might be possible.

Dissertation Project for the Forensic Science Laboratory: Birch Reduction of Ephedrine and Analysis of Byproducts of Forensic Science Interest

This undergraduate dissertation project was designed to enhance organic and analytical chemistry skills of final year forensic science students. A modified Birch reaction method was employed to synthesize amphetamine from ephedrine and detect the most known byproduct of clandestine manufacture of amphetamines, e.g., 1-(1,4-cyclohexadienyl)-2-methylaminopropane (CMP). The use of this synthetic method led to simultaneous N-demethylation and dehydroxylation of the alkaloid. Harmful liquid ammonia and lithium metal, which are the typical reagents of the classic Birch reaction, were replaced by the safer sodium silica gel stage I (Na-SG-I) and an alcoholic proton source. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to monitor reaction progress and identify starting material, products, and byproducts, whereas proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C NMR) and heteronuclear single-quantum correlation (HSQC) NMR spectroscopy experiments were employed to characterize amphetamine and the parent compound ephedrine. This multiweek project-based learning experience has been running for three years at De Montfort University (DMU), which offers a well-established Forensic Science BSc (Hons) undergraduate course. The students were guided with the help of an academic instructor through a research-like setting delving into synthesis, characterization, and analysis of a drug of abuse and its byproduct. As part of this learning experience, which culminated in a body of work that informed the content of final year dissertations, the students gained useful organic chemistry skills and consolidated previously acquired knowledge in trace analysis. A survey of the dissertations’ final grades and evaluation of end-of-project questionnaires revealed that students responded well to the challenges posed by the organic chemistry aspect of the lab and that the project topic and methods were engaging and very relevant to the forensic science course.

Positioning oneself in relation to sources and context – Enactments of independence in undergraduate supervision

Independence is becoming an increasingly important factor in Swedish higher education, especially in relation to undergraduate degree projects. Despite this, there is no shared understanding of what independence is or whether it is to be found in the finished text or in the supervision interaction. In this article I look at one specific definition of independence: the ability to position oneself and one’s work in relation to sources. Three supervision meetings are analysed, selected from a larger body of recorded material from teacher education courses in Sweden. I explore how independence can be enacted in the supervision of undergraduate degree projects, drawing on the analytical framework of appraisal. The theoretical framework is derived from the socio-cultural and dialogical perspective, which proposes that learning and understanding develop in context through interaction and dialogue. Independence, from this perspective, is something that can be explored in enactments in interactions of different kinds. The findings show that the students use different resources in order to relate to sources on different levels, and these levels could be related to independence in different ways.

Carl Ng.

Carl Ng.

Remote Online Project: Traveling in a Virtual World, Researching Microbes.

The undergraduate general microbiology course-based research projects were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. Therefore, we developed a remote online research project that combines aspects of microbiology lectures and laboratory techniques. The project allows students to virtually travel to environmental sites to research different microorganisms. This virtual project successfully replaced the in-person laboratory experience for the duration of the semester. We revised the project with assistance from undergraduate students enrolled in the spring course. Our revised virtual project helps students develop their scientific writing and presentation skills while applying microbiology course and laboratory knowledge. The project is designed to create a more equal and equitable assessment process by including detailed guidelines and rubrics. Projects are easy to implement and can be completed within 5 to 6 weeks. The project will promote students’ understanding of the process of scientific research and enrich academic development.

A borderland methodology / Una metodología fronteriza

ABSTRACT This paper develops a flexible explication of borderland methodology, demonstrating a practical application of Gloria Anzaldúa’s theories on scholarly research. This essay’s form duplicates the key insights of her book, Borderlands/La Frontera (2012). Specifically, this author takes as central an auto-ethnographic research project fostered by the support of a professor, Dr. Christine Marin. The discovery process of an undergraduate life-history project enabled this author to see how his research has been made possible by a long line of women’s labor, particularly structured by the borderlands. As the author examines in hindsight how he learned to create methods organically, he sees the impact that Gloria Anzaldúa’s theories have made across many disciplines and strongly in his own research with an Indigenous community living on both sides of an international border. This essay results in a list of characteristics that the author determines as definitive of a borderland methodology. Avoiding prescriptive boundaries, the essay provides insight into the multiple uses of boundaries and borders in an academic life, particularly in terms of race. The methodology described takes shape in the form of honoring women who labored for the sustenance of their communities.

Community partners' experiences of higher education service-learning in a community engagement module

PurposeThe purpose of this empirical research paper is to investigate the self-perceived role of the community partner of a higher education service-learning and community engagement module.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was followed by distributing a questionnaire to the community partners of a community engagement module and coding the responses using ATLAS.ti. A total of 36 responses were received from community partners who work with students enrolled in a compulsory undergraduate community-based project module at the University of Pretoria's Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology.FindingsThe community partners share a common interest in the students' education. They are experts in their fields and can share their knowledge with the students and the university. Through these partnerships, long-term reciprocal relationships can develop. Community partners can become co-educators and partners in education. The pragmatist representations of community partners can be challenged when they understand their own stakes in service-learning or community engagement projects. This better aids higher education institutes in the management and evaluation of service-learning and community engagement pedagogies and curricula.Research limitations/implicationsTwo main limitations underlie this study. Firstly, this research is based on data from one community module at a single university. Although a large number of students are registered in the module, the study would be improved by conducting it at more than one university countrywide. Secondly, the study was performed during the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown the country experienced. This was a completely unexpected event for which everyone was totally unprepared. Many of the community partners lacked the resources to receive or respond to an online questionnaire. The nature of the lockdown prevented the researchers from reaching these community partners for a face-to-face interview. The voice of these community partners is, therefore, silent.Practical implicationsThe community partners reiterated their need to be seen as equal partners in the module and appreciated being part of a group of non-profit enterprises working together with a university to pursue a set of common goals. However, their status as peers depends on their willingness and ability to contribute sufficiently to the structure and demands of the service-learning module. The community partners who were able and willing to orientate each group of students to their organisation's mission and objectives, and who executed their roles according to the course requirements, experienced the greatest success in terms of project effectiveness and efficiency, and also in terms of future benefits when students returned to volunteer or provide donations. Given time, these community partners grew into an equal partner with the university's stakeholders, where both their own needs and those of the students were met during the various service-learning projects.Social implicationsSince all respondents in this study are non-profit organisations, the financial assistance and free labour afforded to them by the students are of paramount importance. The community partners also understand the longer-term value implications of successful student projects, as some students return of their free will to volunteer their services when gainfully employed after graduation.Originality/valueCommunity engagement projects are rarely investigated from the community partner's point of view. This paper elicited their responses and examined them through the lens of Fraser's theory of social justice (Fraser, 2009).