The benefits of an open-science approach in student research projects

Open science is a movement to allow scientific information, data and outputs to be more widely accessible and reusable, with the active engagement of all the stakeholders. Open science can also describe openness within a research group where all participants share their data, analysis code, ideas and feedback. These ideas can be applied to all aspects of science, from large research consortia to student projects. With great accessibility comes greater reproducibility, leading to better code quality and better research. Here we describe what we have learned and gained from taking an open-science approach in undergraduate and masters student research projects, from the perspective of the student, the day-to-day supervisor, and the principal investigator (PI) or research group leader. We argue for the importance of clear expectations, communication, documentation, and of modelling collaborative behaviour. To design a good student project, we recommend planning the project outcomes so that everybody wins, and planning a pathway from novice to expert within the project.

Building a biomedical pipeline: the impact of the Idaho IDeA INBRE summer research experience at a primarily undergraduate institution

Idaho Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) aims to build biomedical research capacity and enhance the scientific and technology knowledge of the Idaho workforce. A key INBRE Program at The College of Idaho, a primarily undergraduate institution of 1,100 students, is a 10-wk summer fellows research experience. This report documents outcomes from 2005 to present, including demographic trends, faculty and student research productivity, self-reported gains, educational attainment, and career outcomes. Of 103 participants, 83.7% were from Idaho, 26.7% from rural areas, and 23.9% first-generation college students. Faculty and student research productivity (conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications) increased threefold. We found that 91.4% of fellows entered a scientific- or healthcare-related career and that 70.7% completed or are currently enrolled in postgraduate training (51.7% doctoral and 19.0% master’s level). Anonymous surveys were uniformly positive, with gains in self-confidence and independent laboratory work. Open-ended responses indicated students valued mentoring efforts and improved awareness of scientific opportunities and competitive preparation for postgraduate training. Lastly, we observed that student research involvement increased college-wide during the award period. These data suggest that the summer fellows program is successfully meeting National Institutes of Health IDeA goals and serving as a pipeline to future health research careers and a scientifically trained Idaho workforce.

P and/or E: That Is (Still) the Question (Or Is It?)

While the question of whether to choose the print and/or electronic format of a given title is certainly not new, the circumstances in which we are making such decisions have changed, prompting many of us to reconsider collection development priorities. Three librarians share their observations in answering three interrelated questions: (1) How did limited access to print collections affect student research behavior and faculty expectations in the course of the pandemic? (2) What strategies have libraries adopted to provide access to print-exclusive content? and (3) What criteria do they use in determining whether print or digital format is more suitable for a given title? While electronic resources certainly offer advantages, those who make and/or inform collection development decisions would do well to consider potential pedagogical implications of format as well as the ways in which providing access to electronic format exclusively may affect our ability to serve library patrons beyond the seminary community, including alumni and local clergy.

ROLE OF STUDENTS’ RESEARCH ACTIITY IN FOSTERING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF POLTAVA STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

Student research activity is one of the most important forms of the education and the driving force of quality assurance activities. Ukraine has developed a regulatory and legal framework that ensures high-quality research work, which should meet the needs of future specialists in intellectual and professional development and increase their professional competence. The involvement in research work requires, first of all, gaining deep theoretical and practical knowledge in medicine, well-designed extra-curricular activities to guide students in their mastering methodology of scientific research and developing research skills, and university promotion. The experience of Poltava State Medical University convincingly proves that the most effective means of improving the quality of training is the regular active involvement of students in research activity. The role of scientific knowledge in higher education is decisive, since the active participation of the teaching staff in fostering research skills makes it possible to demonstrate the latest scientific achievements and their practical application. Structured research activities, woven into the medical school curriculum provide an opportunity to evince the intellectual potential of both students and educators, to contribute to deeper investigation of medical problems, to master the methods of scientific investigation, and to realize the importance of such activity in increasing one's competitiveness in the labour market. This approach also contributes to better comprehension of professional information, to develop mindset associated with high professionalism. Pathophysiology as a discipline is at the junction of theoretical and clinical disciplines that serves as a wide background to meet the diversity of students’ scientific demands and interests. Involving students into structured research activities not only promotes gaining special knowledge, but also builds up ethical and deontological foundations of future successful medical research career; enhances team spirit and cooperation between students and educators. This interaction enables in clearly stating their focus and research question, engaging in an adequate critical discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the study methods, and offering conclusions that are properly qualified in the scope given the evidence gathered and analyzed. This department is proud to maintain a high university rank on student research results performance among the non-clinical departments. The culmination of knowledge in this developmental trajectory can reinforced and extend other aspects of high quality training.