scholarly journals The benefits of mentoring undergraduate research students

Fine Focus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-11
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Roossien
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Students

Faculty Perspective by Dr. Douglas H. Roossien

scholarly journals Student and faculty outcomes of undergraduate science research projects by geographically dispersed students

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawton Shaw ◽  
Dietmar Kennepohl
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Pass Rates ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Undergraduate Science ◽  
Research Students

<p>Senior undergraduate research projects are important components of most undergraduate science degrees. The delivery of such projects in a distance education format is challenging. Athabasca University (AU) science project courses allow distance education students to complete research project courses by working with research supervisors in their local area, coordinated at a distance by AU faculty. This paper presents demographics and course performance for 155 students over five years. Pass rates were similar to other distance education courses. Research students were surveyed by questionnaire, and external supervisors and AU faculty were interviewed, to examine the outcomes of these project courses for each group. Students reported high levels of satisfaction with the course, local supervisors, and faculty coordinators. Students also reported that the experience increased their interest in research, and the probability that they would pursue graduate or additional certification. Local supervisors and faculty affirmed that the purposes of project courses are to introduce the student to research, provide opportunity for students to use their cumulative knowledge, develop cognitive abilities, and independent thinking. The advantages and challenges associated with this course model are discussed.</p>

Research skills and STEM undergraduate research students' aspirations for research careers: Mediating effects of research self-efficacy

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 940-951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omolola A. Adedokun ◽  
Ann B. Bessenbacher ◽  
Loran C. Parker ◽  
Lisa L. Kirkham ◽  
Wilella D. Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Mediating Effects ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
Research Careers ◽  
Research Students

Infusion of Nanotechnology in Chemistry Courses Through Laboratory Redesign and Vertical Threads

2006 ◽  
Vol 931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delana A. Nivens ◽  
Will E. Lynch ◽  
Brian C. Helmly ◽  
Nguyen T. Nguyen ◽  
Nin Dingra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetite Nanoparticles ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Spectroscopic Properties ◽  
Chemistry Curriculum ◽  
Biomedical Analysis ◽  
Freshman Year ◽  
General Utility ◽  
Freshmen Students ◽  
Research Students ◽  
New Research

ABSTRACTChemistry occupies a unique place in the university curriculum and is required by a wide variety of other disciplines because of its general utility. Unfortunately, the laboratory portion of the course does not always reflect the diversity and excitement of new research in and interesting applications of chemistry since the laboratory experience is designed to help the student master fundamental concepts. At Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) we are attacking this problem with the implementation of two series of nanotechnology based “vertical threads” throughout our chemistry curriculum. The vertical threads begin in the freshman year and provide continuity throughout the rest of the curriculum. Experiments direct the student's attention towards modern applications of chemical technology while providing chemical fundamentals expected in traditional laboratory exercises. By seeing these recurring threads at ever increasing levels of complexity, students build upon knowledge gained about nanotechnology with each additional laboratory course.The approach used at AASU created two experimental “vertical threads” which are woven into the educational experience from the bottom-up in both the curriculum and the chemical methodology. Experiments performed in the freshman chemistry lab reappear in expanded forms in subsequent years as part of new experiments that mimic the biological, industrial and medical applications of nanotechnology.We have concentrated our efforts in two areas: magnetite nanoparticles thread, and the chalcogenide nanoparticles thread. Magnetite nanoparticles are prepared by freshmen students while more advanced students modify these nanoparticles for real-world applications. Chalcogenide nanoparticles are synthesized by junior and senior level students and their spectroscopic properties are studied. Senior and undergraduate research students are involved in green synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles as well as the use of ZnS, CdS and ceria nanoparticles for photocatalysis applications. The upper division students learn numerous instrumental techniques (i.e. UV-VIS, Fluorescence, FT-IR) within the context of nanotechnology. All students are presented with pre-laboratory and background materials that address the needs for new materials, new techniques for biomedical analysis and drug delivery as well as the environmental impacts of nanotechnology.

scholarly journals Academic and Professional Preparedness: Outcomes of Undergraduate Research in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-9
Author(s):  
Kelly Kistner ◽  
Erin M. Sparck ◽  
Amy Liu ◽  
Hannah Whang Sayson ◽  
Marc Levis-Fitzgerald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Center ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Research Students

This article assesses outcomes among students who pursued faculty-mentored research in those fields and concurrently participated in programs administered through UCLA’s Undergraduate Research Center for the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Compared to a quasi-control group of nonresearch students, the research students reported statistically significant better outcomes on average in attaining several of the skills sought by today’s employers.

scholarly journals Bacteria as “ink” for writing the initials of names on agar

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenfa Ng
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Surface Patterning ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Purple Pigment ◽  
Patterning Technique ◽  
Research Students ◽  
Planar Substrates ◽  
Open Access Article

Mementos encapsulate memories and serve as triggers for their recollections. By using a purple pigment producing bacterium as “ink” for writing on agar, a picture memento depicting the initials of students’ names was created to help them recollect, in future, the strong friendships that they fostered during their final year research projects. Besides the fun activity of “Bacterial calligraphy”, the surface patterning technique can also serve as a simple and relatively low cost tool for testing the feasibility of research ideas; for example, depositing cells in both straight and curvilinear lines on planar substrates may find use in understanding possible interactions between different microorganism species. A synopsis of the work and a structured abstract can be found in the accompanying PDF file, while the original article, “Bacterial Calligraphy: A Memento for Undergraduate Research Students”, is available in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 172-174 as an open access article, URL http://www.asmscience.org/content/journal/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v13i2.414 .

Undergraduate Students as Partners in a Writing Course: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Assif ◽  
◽  
Sonya Ho ◽  
Shalizeh Minaee ◽  
Farah Rahim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Writing Curriculum ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Higher Education Assessment ◽  
Research Students ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Engaging undergraduate students and faculty as partners in learning and teaching is arguably one of the most important and flourishing trends higher education in the 21st century, particularly in the UK, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Students as partners is a concept that intersects with other major teaching and learning topics, such as student engagement, equity, decolonization of higher education, assessment, and career preparation. In this context, the aim of this presentation is to report on a case study, where four undergraduate students (hired as undergraduate research students) and a faculty/program coordinator collaborated in the fall of 2020 to review and re-design the curriculum of English A02 (Critical Writing about Literature), a foundational course in the English program at the University of Toronto Scarborough. This presentation will serve as a platform for these students and faculty to share the logistics of this partnership, its successes, challenges, future prospects, and possible recommendations for faculty and students who may partake similar projects in the future. Keywords: Students as Partners (SaP), writing, curriculum, decolonization

scholarly journals Bacteria as “ink” for writing the initials of names on agar

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenfa Ng
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Surface Patterning ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Purple Pigment ◽  
Patterning Technique ◽  
Research Students ◽  
Planar Substrates ◽  
Open Access Article

Mementos encapsulate memories and serve as triggers for their recollections. By using a purple pigment producing bacterium as “ink” for writing on agar, a picture memento depicting the initials of students’ names was created, to help them remember the strong friendships that they had fostered with their fellow course-mates during their final year research projects. Besides the fun activity of “Bacterial Calligraphy,” the surface patterning technique can also serve as a simple and relatively low-cost tool for testing the feasibility of research ideas; for example, depositing cells in both straight and curvilinear lines on planar substrates for investigating possible interactions between different microbial species. A synopsis of the work and a structured abstract can be found in the accompanying PDF file, while the original article, “Bacterial Calligraphy: A Memento for Undergraduate Research Students,” has been published in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 172-174, and is available at http://jmbe.asm.org/index.php/jmbe/article/view/414 as an open-access article.

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