Interdisciplinary Research Experiences For Undergraduates: Two Mixed-Methods Studies

Despite the demand for a diverse STEM-educated population and workforce, college students have consistently turned away from these disciplines in large numbers, creating a persistent problem that many are trying to address. The aim of the National Science Foundation\u27s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is to inspire, attract, and retain STEM majors. Funding supports undergraduate STEM students\u27 engagement in real-world research alongside STEM mentors. As colleges and universities compete for funding for REUs, it is important to understand the mechanisms within summer research programs that resonate most deeply with undergraduate STEM researchers. While many studies reveal strong correlations between research experiences and STEM aspirations, less is known about the mechanisms within REU programs that support these gains. My research used quantitative and qualitative self-reported data from 20 REU students, 18 of whom were underrepresented minorities in STEM. Over two summers, these students, in cohorts of ten, came to the University of Vermont to participate in a team-oriented, 10-week REU: Interdisciplinary Research on Human Impacts in the Lake Champlain Ecosystem. Two mixed-methods studies, guided by the frameworks of the theory of possible selves, theory of self-efficacy for research, and social cognitive career theory, revealed four important program mechanisms that gave rise to gains in research skills, confidence and self-efficacy for research, and STEM career aspirations, particularly for individuals from underrepresented minority groups in STEM. Findings suggest that the program fostered student capacity building within a safe, inclusive, and positive setting where students experienced what it feels like to be an active participant in the world of research. Within this context, critical mechanisms that gave rise to gains in research skills, confidence and self-efficacy for research, and STEM career aspirations included: (1) experiential education through interdisciplinary research experiences, (2) student independence and ownership balanced with expert researcher guidance and support, (3) formal and informal mentoring networks where students were mentored and where they mentored others, and (4) the establishment of an intentional learning community that advanced leadership, research skill building, perseverance, and reflection. Results from this research cannot be generalized beyond the context of the Lake Champlain REU, however, findings are in alignment with the body of literature that highlights the positive effects of REUs on STEM majors\u27 research skills, confidence and self-efficacy for research, and STEM career aspirations. Using mixed methods to identify and understand the within-program mechanisms that support student gains is a valuable new research approach for this field. Recognizing programmatic mechanisms across REU programs can lead to expansion, replication, and application of these models beyond one institution, resulting in more positive gains for more undergraduate STEM researchers

Communities of Practice in Academic Administration: An Example from Managing Undergraduate Research at a Research-Intensive University

Inspired by the need to connect virtually during COVID-19 operations, a community of practice for facilitators of undergraduate research experiences was initiated at our university. Weekly virtual meetings quickly expanded to fill an unmet need for cross-campus support of research experiences more generally, including clarification of liability concerns, best practices for crafting inclusive application materials, culturally competent mentorship, and the abrupt transition to online research experiences. The resulting synergy of ideas also yielded significant new initiatives including an anti-racist research curriculum, federal grant proposals, and campus-wide outreach activities. The community of practice has continued to evolve with a sustainability focus, utilizing the model of a dedicated meeting facilitator and regular meeting times, coupled with responsiveness to pressing issues articulated by participants. Regular participants report improved outcomes for their students as a result of the community of practice discussions, as well as a space for personal and professional support and networking

Development and characterization of a peanut-shell based activated carbon and the outcomes of a hands-on approach to chemical education

Heavy metals are a recognized toxic environmental contaminant, even at very low concentrations. There have been well-known events in the last decade within the US of high amounts of lead in the drinking water supplies of cities, leading to detrimental effects within its population. Ways have been found to remove this metal, and others, from water with expensive adsorbents. The aim of the first part of this research was to create an inexpensive adsorbent from a waste material and modify it in such a way that it would be adept at removing heavy metals from water. In Chapter I, we were able to remove lead, copper, and cadmium using our peanut shell-based activated carbon, getting a high amount of metal adsorption when the activated carbon was activated with phosphoric acid, pyrolyzed, and then cooled under a nitrogen atmosphere. The activated carbon was characterized and found to have a BET surface area of 781 m2g-1 and a Langmuir maximum isotherm capacity of 100.2 mg/g. By using the data obtained in this work, it could lead to the development of further economically made adsorbents to be used to provide more people with clean drinking water. The second part of our work focused on the benefit of a hands-on approach to chemical education. In Chapter IV, we discuss the development and implementation of our NSF-funded summer research experience for undergraduates program, as well as the student-reported results from their 10-week research experience. These surveys showed consistent self-reported growth among the student cohort in the skill sets that were focused on during the program. Chapter V focuses on the development, application, and analysis of results for a novel home-based laboratory component for a semester-long organic chemistry course. It featured 12 lab activities: 8 hands-on experiments and 4 online modeling exercises. By developing and sharing this off-campus approach, we hope to provide an option for other universities that are looking for at-home laboratory experiences for their own students. Overall, we found that these approaches to experiencing chemistry in a hands-on way were beneficial to students and provided them with a greater interest in chemistry