scholarly journals Virtual Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy highlighted the opportunity to impact early STEMM students career knowledge through narrative

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0258660
Author(s):  
Kendra H. Oliver ◽  
Christina Keeton ◽  
Roger Chalkley ◽  
Elizabeth Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Summer Program ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Engineering Mathematics ◽  
Science Academy ◽  
Community Science ◽  
Interest In Research ◽  
Vanderbilt University

Due to COVID-19 precautions, the Vanderbilt University summer biomedical undergraduate research program, the Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy (VSSA), rapidly transitioned from offering an in-person training program to a virtual seminar format. Our program typically supports undergraduate development through research and/or clinical experience, meeting with individuals pursuing postgraduate training, and providing career development advice. Evidence supports the idea that summer programs transform undergraduates by clarifying their interest in research and encouraging those who haven’t previously considered graduate studies. We were interested in exploring whether a virtual, synchronous program would increase participants’ scientific identity and clarify postgraduate career planning. Rather than create a virtual research exposure, our 5-week "Virtual VSSA" program aimed to simulate the casual connections that would naturally be made with post-undergraduate trainees during a traditional summer program. In seminars, presenters discussed 1) their academic journey, explaining their motivations, goals, and reasons for pursuing a career in science as well as 2) a professional story that illustrated their training. Seminars included Vanderbilt University and Medical School faculty, M.D., MD/Ph.D., as well as Ph.D. students from diverse scientific and personal backgrounds. In addition, weekly informational sessions provided an overview of the nature of each degree program along with admissions advice. Through pre-and post-program surveys, we found that students who registered for this experience already strongly identified with the STEMM community (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine). However, participation in the Virtual VSSA increased their sense of belonging. We also uncovered a gap in participants’ understanding of postgraduate pathways prior to participation and found that our program significantly increased their self-reported understanding of postgraduate programs. It also increased their understanding of why someone would pursue a Ph.D. or Ph.D./MD versus M.D. These changes did not uniformly impact participants’ planned career paths. Overall, by providing personal, tangible stories of M.D., MD/Ph.D., and Ph.D. training, the Virtual VSSA program offered seminars that positively impacted students’ sense of belonging with and connection to the STEMM disciplines.

scholarly journals 2014 -2016 Editorial Board and Note from the Editors

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eriny Hanna ◽  
Jelena Belenzada
Keyword(s):  
Review Process ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Peer Reviewers ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Vanderbilt University ◽  
Final Selection ◽  
Selection Of

A Note from the Editors We are delighted to welcome you to Volume 10 of the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal (VURJ), a selection of some of the finest research conducted within the undergraduate community at Vanderbilt University. In the decade since its inception, VURJ has featured over 100 articles in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. After a brief hiatus in 2014, VURJ came back stronger than ever, boasting our most diverse and selective issue yet. With 73 submissions from students at all four of Vanderbilt’s undergraduate schools, 19 outstanding articles were selected for publication. All submitted manuscripts underwent a rigorous multi-step review process, including two to three rounds of readings by trained peer reviewers, and final selection for publication by VURJ’s team of associate editors. In this issue, you will learn about and explore a diverse selection of topics from arts in trauma therapy to the resurrection of extinct species, an exciting assortment that provides a small glimpse into Vanderbilt’s thriving and dynamic academic community. We encourage you to engage further with this community by contributing some of your own work to our next issue, or by applying to join our team of editors. Happy reading and best wishes, Jelena Belenzada Editor in Chief, 2014-2015 Eriny Hanna Editor at Large, 2014-2015

From the Editor

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Xu
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Limb Regeneration ◽  
Editorial Staff ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Acceptance Rate ◽  
The Future ◽  
Peer Reviewers ◽  
Vanderbilt University

Welcome to the eighth volume of VURJ, a showcase of some of the best undergraduate research conducted at Vanderbilt University. Since 2005, VURJ has featured over 100 articles in the sciences, humanities, social sciences. This year, we received 57 submissions originating from all four undergraduate schools at Vanderbilt for an overall acceptance rate of 30%. Manuscripts were read by two to three trained peer reviewers, ranked numerically, and selected for publication by our team of associate editors. Articles in the 2012 volume explore topics ranging from the use of rhythm in Brahms' music to hidden messages in Alexandrian tombs and the future of limb regeneration. I am pleased to announce this year that VURJ will soon be indexed with EBSCO Publishing, a testament to our excellence as a premier forum for academic discourse. I encourage you to contribute your own ideas to the upcoming 2013 volume and consider joining our editorial staff in Fall 2012. We bid you happy reading! Tim Xu Editor, 2011-2012

scholarly journals Undergraduate research programs build skills for diverse students

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-408
Author(s):  
C. Brooke Bruthers ◽  
Emma L. Hedman ◽  
Marsha Lakes Matyas
Keyword(s):  
Career Planning ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Scientific Presentation ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Professional Networking ◽  
The Impact

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.

scholarly journals THE DEEP RIVER SCIENCE ACADEMY: A UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAM FOR ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SCIENCE

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl W. Turner ◽  
Rick Didsbury ◽  
Margo Ingram
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Summer Program ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science Camp ◽  
Innovative Program ◽  
Science Academy ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Canada Limited

For 28 years, the Deep River Science Academy (DRSA) has been offering high school students the opportunity to engage in the excitement and challenge of professional scientific research to help nurture their passion for science and to provide them with the experience and the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding possible future careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The venue for the DRSA program has been a six-week summer science camp where students, working in pairs under the guidance of a university undergraduate tutor, contribute directly to an on-going research program under the supervision of a professional scientist or engineer. This concept has been expanded in recent years to reach students in classrooms year round by engaging students via the internet over a 12-week term in a series of interactive teaching sessions based on an on-going research project. Although the research projects for the summer program are offered primarily from the laboratories of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited at its Chalk River Laboratories site, projects for the year-round program can be based, in principle, in laboratories at universities and other research institutes located anywhere in Canada. This paper will describe the program in more detail using examples illustrating how the students become engaged in the research and the sorts of contributions they have been able to make over the years. The impact of the program on the students and the degree to which the DRSA has been able to meet its objective of encouraging students to choose careers in the fields of STEM and equipping them with the skills and experience to be successful will be assessed based on feedback from the students themselves. Finally, we will examine the program in the context of how well it helps to address the challenges faced by educators today in meeting the demands of students in a world where the internet provides instant access to information.

scholarly journals Encouraging Minority Undergraduates to Choose Science Careers: Career Paths Survey Results

2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 394-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merna Villarejo ◽  
Amy E. L. Barlow ◽  
Deborah Kogan ◽  
Brian D. Veazey ◽  
Jennifer K. Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Career Paths ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Career ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
Minority Participation ◽  
Enrichment Program ◽  
Interest In Research

To explore the reasons for the dearth of minorities in Ph.D.-level biomedical research and identify opportunities to increase minority participation, we surveyed high-achieving alumni of an undergraduate biology enrichment program for underrepresented minorities. Respondents were asked to describe their career paths and to reflect on the influences that guided their career choices. We particularly probed for attitudes and experiences that influenced students to pursue a research career, as well as factors relevant to their choice between medicine (the dominant career choice) and basic science. In agreement with earlier studies, alumni strongly endorsed supplemental instruction as a mechanism for achieving excellence in basic science courses. Undergraduate research was seen as broadening by many and was transformative for half of the alumni who ultimately decided to pursue Ph.D.s in biomedical research. That group had expressed no interest in research careers at college entry and credits their undergraduate research experience with putting them on track toward a research career. A policy implication of these results is that making undergraduate research opportunities widely available to biology students (including “premed” students) in the context of a structured educational enrichment program should increase the number of minority students who choose to pursue biomedical Ph.D.s.

[Un]blurring the Challenges Facing Post-Graduate Students in South African Universities: An Afrocentric Youth Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Rapanyane
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Publish Or Perish ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Gate Keeping ◽  
Interest In Research ◽  
Complicated Nature ◽  
Youth Perspective

South African senior academics do not accentuate the importance of the “publish or perish” mantra as required for young emerging scholars. This continued unfair and/or unjust practice is perpetuated further by a lack of attention to the problem, including less interest in research country-wide by some senior academics. It is in this context that—where this injustice is reported—it is often undermined and/or side-lined, or even critiqued. This paper is revisiting all of the various challenges faced by young emerging scholars in South African universities. Due to the complicated nature of the conduct of research in South African universities, the author did not pin-point any university by name, as this is the practical thorn that is evident country-wide and has been a systemic, strategic instigation to side-line emerging scholars in producing knowledge through various methods of gate-keeping. It is also delaying post-graduate students in the system for them to not see the importance of the continuation of post-graduate studies. Afrocentricity has been deployed as a theoretical lens, together with unstructured interviews and document reviews to collect data.

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