Library Student Mini Grant Award Year: 2017-2018Perch is a new student organization that aims to improve the undergraduate lab application process. We plan to achieve this through an online platform that centralizes communication between research faculty and students, as well as a standardized system of training and certifying research skills. The certifications (in laboratory techniques) we provide can be uploaded onto the online application platform to make students more attractive candidates to laboratories.  site: http://perch.us-east-1.elasticbeanstalk.com/)https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142991/1/Nishii, Akira_MiniGrant2018.pdfDescription of Nishii, Akira_MiniGrant2018.pdf : Blog Pos

Nishii, Akira

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Deep BlueDeep Blue https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/documentsResearch Collections Library (University of Michigan Library)2018-04-05Perch: Equalizing STEM Research OpportunitiesNishii, Akirahttp://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/142991Downloaded from Deep Blue, University of Michigan's institutional repository3/28/2018 Student Mini Grants: Perch: Equalizing STEM Research Opportunities | U-M Libraryhttps://www.lib.umich.edu/blogs/student-stories/student-mini-grants-perch-equalizing-stem-research-opportunities 1/4Student Mini Grants: Perch: Equalizing STEM ResearchOpportuni esThe	Perch	project	has	grown	to	over	30	students	withseveral	advisors.		Perch’s	mission	is	to	make	research	more	accessible	toundergraduates.UROP,	the	Undergraduate	Research	Opportunity	Program,	does	a	greatjob	at	its	mission:	helping	underrepresented	and	 irst-generationstudents	gain	their	 irst	research	experience	and	make	the	most	of	it.When	UROP	started	25	years	ago,	it	was	able	to	accommodate	everyeligible	student	who	applied.That’s	no	longer	true.	The	number	of	undergraduates	seeking	researchexperience	has	grown	tremendously	in	the	last	decade.	Why?For	many	students,	undergraduate	research	is	their	 irst	experienceworking	on	real-world	problems	that	may	provide	widespread	impactand	help	people	in	the	future.	Through	research,	students	gainFebruary 26, 2018Akira NishiiStudent Stories3/28/2018 Student Mini Grants: Perch: Equalizing STEM Research Opportunities | U-M Libraryhttps://www.lib.umich.edu/blogs/student-stories/student-mini-grants-perch-equalizing-stem-research-opportunities 2/4valuable	critical	thinking	skills,	a	new	way	of	asking	questions.Research	is	a	chance	for	students	to	apply	what	they’ve	learned	inclass	to	the	real	world,	to	venture	boldly	beyond	the	maps	of	theknown.	Research	is	a	chance	to	improve	people’s	lives,	it’s	the	chanceto	get	a	law	of	nature	named	after	you,	it’s	the	universe	trying	tounderstand	itself.	Not	to	mention	that	undergraduate	researchexperience	is	now	necessary	rather	than	an	added	bonus	whenapplying	to	graduate	school,	industrial	R&D	jobs,	and	numerous	othercareer	paths.So	it’s	no	surprise	that	applications	to	UROP	have	ballooned	and	theynow	waitlist	more	students	than	they	can	accept.Perch	offers	a	two-part	solution	to	this	issue.	First,	we’re	building	ononline	platform	to	centralize	lab	information	and	effectively	connectstudents	to	labs.	Currently,	outside	of	programs	like	UROP,	the	twodominant	methods	of	applying	to	labs	are	knowing	professors	fromclubs	or	classes	and	cold-emailing	professors.	These	methods	aren’tconducive	to	matching	students	to	a	lab	they’re	truly	passionate	about.Students	may	not	even	know	about	a	lab	they’d	love	to	work	in.Through	our	online	platform,	we	can	connect	students	to	labs	they’dbest	suited	for.	More	passionate	students	mean	more	enthusiasm	inlab	and	a	better	chance	for	a	multi-year	commitment,	which	are	thetop	two	factors	professors	have	told	us	determine	how	positively	theyview	undergraduate	researchers.	Over	time,	we	hope	that	Perch’s	moreenthusiastic	and	committed	undergraduate	applicants	will	encourageprofessors	to	open	more	positions	for	undergraduates.We	don’t	want	to	rely	on	just	one	angle	of	attack,	though.Simultaneously,	we’re	developing	lab	training	classes.	These	classesare	undergraduate-led,	practical-lab-technique-focused,	 ield-speci iclaboratory	classes.	Our	 irst	class	will	be	in	Chemistry,	CHEM	211H,	inFall	2018,	a	section	of	Organic	Lab	1.Our	classes,	starting	with	our	Chemistry	class,	are	focused	onpreparing	students	with	useful	lab	experience.	This	includes	speci iclab	techniques,	recent	literature	comprehension,	and	beingcomfortable	in	a	lab	setting.	More	speci ically,	the	chemistry	class	willexpose	students	to	different	sub-disciplines	within	chemistry(including	biochemistry,	inorganic	chemistry,	analytical	chemistry,3/28/2018 Student Mini Grants: Perch: Equalizing STEM Research Opportunities | U-M Libraryhttps://www.lib.umich.edu/blogs/student-stories/student-mini-grants-perch-equalizing-stem-research-opportunities 3/4organic	chemistry)	and	the	techniques	commonly	used	in	the	 ields.The	program	will	end	with	a	hands-on	lab	assessment	that	will	certifystudents	in	fundamental	research	techniques.	The	certi ication	will	beuploaded	to	our	online	platform	to	bolster	student	applications	whenthey	are	applying	to	laboratories.We’re	developing	curricula	in	collaboration	with	professors	andgraduate	student	instructors.	We	also	have	teams	in	the	Biology	andChemical	Engineering	departments	working	on	classes	for	Winter2018.	The	biology	curriculum	is	currently	under	revision	by	the	MCDBcurriculum	committee	and	the	chemical	engineering	curriculum	iscurrently	under	construction.More	updates:We’re	in	collaboration	with	UROP.	Ideally,	we’d	like	to	incorporate	theUROP	application	in	our	platform.	The	Assistant	Director	of	UROP,Luciana	Aenasoaie,	is	one	of	our	advisors.We’ve	interviewed	over	30	professors	to	receive	their	insight	on	whatthey	look	for	in	undergraduates	applying	to	labs.	We’ve	gained	greatfeedback.	We	have	also	interviewed	and	received	support	from	a	widevariety	of	people	from	various	departments	and	organizations,including	the	Center	for	Entrepreneurship	(the	Entrepreneurship	LawClinic),	Gwydion,	FindYourDitto,	Academic	Innovation,	the	Molecularand	Integrative	Physiology	Department,	the	Chemistry	Department,the	Biology	Department,	the	Chemical	Engineering	Department,	andthe	Department	for	Social	Innovation	(Optimize).We’re	nearing	completion	of	our	minimum	viable	product	for	ourplatform.	We	plan	to	start	a	beta	test	on	March	10th,	and	we’ve	begunsending	out	invitations	to	professors	and	students	(just	to	test	theplatform	and	give	feedback;	they	won’t	actually	be	applying	toresearch	positions).	We	plan	to	launch	fully	by	Fall	2018.Our	team	has	grown	to	about	30	students.Feel	free	to	check	out	our	current	website	athttp://perch.research.umich.edu.	For	those	curious,	the	backend	in	isPHP	(Laravel)	and	the	frontend	is	in	(React).	It’s	hosted	on	AWSthrough	the	UM	Enterprise	Agreement.	We	have	a	few	high	quality3/28/2018 Student Mini Grants: Perch: Equalizing STEM Research Opportunities | U-M Libraryhttps://www.lib.umich.edu/blogs/student-stories/student-mini-grants-perch-equalizing-stem-research-opportunities 4/4photos	of	our	team	members,	mostly	the	software	development	andchemistry	subteams.	Our	mascot,	the	penguin	in	a	lab	coat,	is	namedRodriguez.Our	advisor	Jo	Angela	Oehrli	gave	us	feedback	on	the	direction	of	ourcurriculum	at	a	critical	juncture	when	we	were	deciding	how	tostructure	the	classes,	whether	to	host	them	online,	whether	to	makethem	MOOCs.	She	met	with	our	chemistry	subteam	to	provide	valuableadvice	on	curriculum	construction.	Her	mentorship	has	been	veryimportant	in	helping	us	construct	a	teaching	curriculum	from	scratch.She	also	put	us	in	contact	with	Paul	Barrow,	who	advised	us	onpossible	funding	methods	and	related	software	we	could	learn	from.Angie	also	helped	us	explore	various	resources	available	at	theUniversity	of	Michigan,	including	the	Shapiro	Design	lab	and	theWolverine	Pathways	program.	Angie’s	expertise	in	research	andteaching	has	been	a	tremendous	help	for	the	team.	She	has	been	afantastic	mentor	and	we	are	extremely	thankful	for	the	help	she	hasprovided	us	with.The	UM	Mini-grant	will	be	used	to	fund	our	high	school	outreachprogram.	We	are	teaching	biology	techniques	to	local	high	schoolstudents	(from	Ann	Arbor	Pioneer	High	School).	The	funds	will	coverequipment	and	reagent	costs	for	the	program.	By	the	end	of	theprogram,	we	will	try	to	connect	students	with	professors	using	ouronline	application	platform.	The	high	school	outreach	program	isconducted	in	collaboration	with	the	UM	Chapter	of	Tau	Beta	Pi(Michigan	Engineering	Honors	Society)	and	the	Michigan	SyntheticBiology	Team	(MSBT).For	more	information,	please	visit	our	website:http://perch.research.umich.edu/Tags:   student engagement program, Mini Grants , engaged learning

Perch: Equalizing STEM Research Opportunities

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Perch: Equalizing STEM Research Opportunities

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