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Sample records for undergraduate research journal

  1. Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume VIII, 2008

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stiner, K. S.; Graham, S.; Khan, M.; Dilks, J.; Mayer, D.

    2008-01-01

    Th e Journal of Undergraduate Research (JUR) provides undergraduate interns the opportunity to publish their scientific innovation and to share their passion for education and research with fellow students and scientists. Fields in which these students worked include: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Environmental Science; General Sciences; Materials Sciences; Medical and Health Sciences; Nuclear Sciences; Physics; Science Policy; and Waste Management.

  2. Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume IX, 2009

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stiner, K. S.; Graham, S.; Khan, M.; Dilks, J.; Mayer, D.

    2009-01-01

    Each year more than 600 undergraduate students are awarded paid internships at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Laboratories. Th ese interns are paired with research scientists who serve as mentors in authentic research projects. All participants write a research abstract and present at a poster session and/or complete a fulllength research paper. Abstracts and selected papers from our 2007–2008 interns that represent the breadth and depth of undergraduate research performed each year at our National Laboratories are published here in the Journal of Undergraduate Research. The fields in which these students worked included: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Environmental Science; General Science; Materials Science; Medical and Health Sciences; Nuclear Science; Physics; Science Policy; and Waste Management.

  3. Assessing Aspects of Undergraduate Research through Journaling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mimbs, Debra

    2017-01-01

    It is necessary while mentoring students in undergraduate research to conduct assessments in order to determine how well the research experience is progressing. It may also be necessary to assign a grade to a student's performance at the conclusion of such a venture. Journaling may be used both as a formative assessment tool and as a summative…

  4. Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume I, 2001

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Faletra, P.; Beavis, W.; Franz, K.; Musick, C.; Walbridge, S.E.; Myron, H.

    2001-01-01

    This is our first volume of the Undergraduate Journal. It is an approbation of the impressive research performed by summer interns under the guidance of their dedicated mentors. The full-length publications were chosen from a pool of submissions that were reviewed by many of the excellent scientists at our National Laboratories. Most of these students will pursue careers in science, engineering and technology and, hopefully, some of this talent will remain with our labs. We have also included about 125 abstracts that survived the review process. These were submitted from all of our participating National Laboratories.

  5. The value of reflective journaling in undergraduate nursing education: a literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Epp, Sheila

    2008-09-01

    The purpose of this literature review was to ascertain the evidence for the use of reflective journaling as a tool to promote the pedagogical strategy of reflection for the purpose of learning from practice for practice in undergraduate nursing education. Concept-centric. The literature review involved structured searches of all OVID gateway databases, EBSCO host databases, and Blackwell Synergy. Qualitative and Quantitative Studies from 1992 to 2006 were included if they focused on reflective journaling in undergraduate clinical education. Due to the vast plethora of literature on reflection, keywords were utilized to focus the search. Approximately 150 abstracts were reviewed for primary sources of research. A total of nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The review subsequently divided the literature into four content themes allowing for appraisal and analysis of the findings, followed by summary and key recommendations for nursing education and research. There was evidence that educators struggle to incorporate reflective processes into education; however, the research provided rationale and support for engaging undergraduate students in the reflective process. Researchers found reasonable levels of reflection in undergraduate students' journaling and educators reported students' learning as a result of reflective journaling. Further to this, there was evidence that writing reflectively improved over time; a learned skill also dependent on a good facilitator and trust. Unfortunately, there was a paucity of research that explored the undergraduate nurses' experiences with the process of having to create written communication, with a critical reflective focus on practice. Nursing educators are correct in pursuing the teaching and learning of the reflective process in undergraduate nursing education. Nurse educators need to utilize various tools and strategies for facilitating the growth of undergraduate students into reflective practitioners. Indeed there was

  6. Developing Effective Undergraduate Research Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Michael; Ilie, Carolina C.

    2011-03-01

    Undergraduate research is a valuable educational tool for students pursuing a degree in physics, but these experiences can become problematic and ineffective if not handled properly. Undergraduate research should be planned as an immersive learning experience in which the student has the opportunity to develop his/her skills in accordance with their interests. Effective undergraduate research experiences are marked by clear, measurable objectives and frequent student-professor collaboration. These objectives should reflect the long and short-term goals of the individual undergraduates, with a heightened focus on developing research skills for future use. 1. Seymour, E., Hunter, A.-B., Laursen, S. L. and DeAntoni, T. (2004), ``Establishing the benefits of research experiences for undergraduates in the sciences: First findings from a three-year study''. Science Education, 88: 493--534. 2. Behar-Horenstein, Linda S., Johnson, Melissa L. ``Enticing Students to Enter Into Undergraduate Research: The Instrumentality of an Undergraduate Course.'' Journal of College Science Teaching 39.3 (2010): 62-70.

  7. Undergraduate Economics Journals: Learning by Doing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leekley, Robert M.; Davis-Kahl, Stephanie; Seeborg, Michael C.

    2013-01-01

    Although there are currently only a few undergraduate journals in economics, we expect their numbers to increase substantially in the future because of several developments: (1) research and writing activity is increasing in economics programs, (2) online publication is now more feasible and cost efficient than ever, and (3) students are…

  8. The Potential to use Publication of Undergraduate Research as a Teaching Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brevik, Eric C.; Lindbo, David L.; Belcher, Christopher

    2015-04-01

    Several studies crossing numerous disciplinary boundaries have demonstrated that undergraduate students benefit from research experiences. These benefits include personal and intellectual development, more and closer contact with faculty, the use of active learning techniques, the creation of high expectations, the development of creative and problem-solving skills, and the development of greater independence and intrinsic motivation to learn. The discipline also gains in that studies show undergraduates who engage in research experiences are more likely to remain science majors and finish their degree program. Research experiences come as close as possible to allowing undergraduates to experience what it is like to be an academic or research member of their profession working to advance their discipline, therefore enhancing their professional socialization into their chosen field. If the goals achieved by undergraduate research include introducing these students to the advancement of their chosen field, it stands to reason the ultimate ending to this experience would be the publication of a peer-reviewed paper. While not all undergraduate projects will end with a product worthy of peer-reviewed publication, some definitely do, and the personal experience of the authors indicates that undergraduate students who achieve publication get great satisfaction and a sense of personal achievement from that publication. While a top-tier international journal probably isn't going to be the ultimate destination for many of these projects, there are several appropriate outlets. The SSSA journal Soil Horizons has published several undergraduate projects in recent years, and good undergraduate projects can often be published in state academy of science journals. Journals focused expressly on publishing undergraduate research include the Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence, Reinvention, and the American Journal of Undergraduate Research. Case studies of

  9. Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume VI, 2006

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Faletra, P.; Schuetz, A.; Cherkerzian, D.; Clark, T.

    2006-01-01

    Students who conducted research at DOE National Laboratories during 2005 were invited to include their research abstracts, and for a select few, their completed research papers in this Journal. This Journal is direct evidence of students collaborating with their mentors. Fields in which these students worked include: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Engineering; Environmental Science; General Sciences; Materials Sciences; Medical and Health Sciences; Nuclear Sciences; Physics; and Science Policy.

  10. Advancing Research on Undergraduate Science Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Susan Rundell

    2013-01-01

    This special issue of "Journal of Research in Science Teaching" reflects conclusions and recommendations in the "Discipline-Based Education Research" (DBER) report and makes a substantial contribution to advancing the field. Research on undergraduate science learning is currently a loose affiliation of related fields. The…

  11. Library Research: A Domain Comparison of Two Library Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Karen; Thiele, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    Research articles published by the "Community & Junior College Libraries" journal and the "College & Undergraduate Libraries" journal were analyzed to determine their domain. The discussion includes a comparison of past domain studies with the current research. The researchers found the majority of articles (52%) in the…

  12. Accelerated Peer-Review Journal Usage Technique for Undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, J. D.

    2008-01-01

    The internet has given undergraduate students ever-increasing access to academic journals via search engines and online databases. However, students typically do not have the ability to use these journals effectively. This often poses a dilemma for instructors. The accelerated peer-review journal usage (APJU) technique provides a way for…

  13. Emphasizing Research (Further) in Undergraduate Technical Communication Curricula: Involving Undergraduate Students with an Academic Journal's Publication and Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Julie Dyke; Newmark, Julianne

    2011-01-01

    This article presents follow-up information to a previous publication regarding ways to increase emphasis on research skills in undergraduate Technical Communication curricula. We detail the ways our undergraduate program highlights research by requiring majors to complete senior thesis projects that culminate in submission to an online…

  14. Introduction of a Journal Excerpt Activity Improves Undergraduate Students' Performance in Statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabin, Laura A.; Nutter-Upham, Katherine E.

    2010-01-01

    We describe an active learning exercise intended to improve undergraduate students' understanding of statistics by grounding complex concepts within a meaningful, applied context. Students in a journal excerpt activity class read brief excerpts of statistical reporting from published research articles, answered factual and interpretive questions,…

  15. LIS Practitioner-focused Research Trends Toward Open Access Journals, Academic-focused Research Toward Traditional Journals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Hayman

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available A Review of: Chang, Y-W. (2017. Comparative study of characteristics of authors between open access and non-open access journals in library and information science. Library & Information Science Research, 39(1, 8-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2017.01.002   Abstract  Objective – To examine the occupational characteristics and publication habits of library and information science (LIS authors regarding traditional journals and open access journals. Design – Content analysis. Setting – English language research articles published in open access (OA journals and non-open access (non-OA journals from 2008 to 2013 that are indexed in LIS databases. Subjects – The authorship characteristics for 3,472 peer-reviewed articles. Methods – This researcher identified 33 total journals meeting the inclusion criteria by using the LIS categories within 2012 Journal Citation Reports (JCR to find 13 appropriate non-OA journals, and within the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ to identify 20 appropriate OA journals. They found 1,665 articles by 3,186 authors published in the non-OA journals, and another 1,807 articles by 3,446 authors within the OA journals. The researcher used author affiliation to determine article authors’ occupations using information included in the articles themselves or by looking for information on the Internet, and excluded articles when occupational information could not be located. Authors were categorized into four occupational categories: Librarians (practitioners, Academics (faculty and researchers, Students (graduate or undergraduate, and Others. Using these categories, the author identified 10 different types of collaborations for co-authored articles. Main Results – This research involves three primary research questions. The first examined the occupational differences between authors publishing in OA journals versus non-OA journals. Academics (faculty and researchers more commonly published in non

  16. Reputation Cycles: The Value of Accreditation for Undergraduate Journalism Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blom, Robin; Davenport, Lucinda D.; Bowe, Brian J.

    2012-01-01

    Accreditation is among various outside influences when developing an ideal journalism curriculum. The value of journalism accreditation standards for undergraduate programs has been studied and is still debated. This study discovers views of opinion leaders in U.S. journalism programs, as surveyed program directors give reasons for being…

  17. Integrating scientific research into undergraduate curriculum: A new direction in dental education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fahad Saleh Al Sweleh

    2016-01-01

    Conclusion: The undergraduate research is a cumulative learning experience which requires the support of the institute and faculty. Establishing a dental student research journal would encourage students to conduct and publish their research.

  18. Undergraduate Reflective Journaling in Work Integrated Learning: Is It Relevant to Professional Practice?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edgar, Susan; Francis-Coad, Jacqueline; Connaughton, Joanne

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents the research findings from a study reviewing graduates' opinions on completing online reflective journaling tasks during work integrated learning as an undergraduate. The study was divided into two parts with an initial focus group conducted with six physiotherapy graduates seven months following graduation. Findings from the…

  19. The Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Experience Offers Opportunities Similar to the Undergraduate Research Experience†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schalk, Kelly A.; McGinnis, J. Randy; Harring, Jeffrey R.; Hendrickson, Amy; Smith, Ann C.

    2009-01-01

    There has been a growing concern in higher education about our failure to produce scientifically trained workers and scientifically literate citizens. Active-learning and research-oriented activities are posited as ways to give students a deeper understanding of science. We report on an undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA) experience and suggest that students who participate as a UTA obtain benefits analogous to those who participate as an undergraduate research assistant (URA). We examined the experiences of 24 undergraduates acting as UTAs in a general microbiology course. Self-reported gains by the UTAs were supported by observational data from undergraduates in the course who were mentored by the UTAs and by the graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) with whom the UTAs worked. Specifically, data from the UTAs’ journals and self-reported Likert scales and rubrics indicated that our teaching assistants developed professional characteristics such as self-confidence and communication and leadership skills, while they acquired knowledge of microbiology content and laboratory skills. Data from the undergraduate Likert scale as well as the pre- and post-GTA rubrics further confirmed our UTA’s data interpretations. These findings are significant because they offer empirical data to support the suggestion that the UTA experience is an effective option for developing skills and knowledge in undergraduates that are essential for careers in science. The UTA experience provides a valuable alternative to the URA experience. PMID:23653688

  20. The Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Experience Offers Opportunities Similar to the Undergraduate Research Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly A. Schalk

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available There has been a growing concern in higher education about our failure to produce scientifically trained workers and scientifically literate citizens. Active-learning and research-oriented activities are posited as ways to give students a deeper understanding of science. We report on an undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA experience and suggest that students who participate as a UTA obtain benefits analogous to those who participate as an undergraduate research assistant (URA. We examined the experiences of 24 undergraduates acting as UTAs in a general microbiology course. Self-reported gains by the UTAs were supported by observational data from undergraduates in the course who were mentored by the UTAs and by the graduate teaching assistants (GTAs with whom the UTAs worked. Specifically, data from the UTAs’ journals and self-reported Likert scales and rubrics indicated that our teaching assistants developed professional characteristics such as self-confidence and communication and leadership skills, while they acquired knowledge of microbiology content and laboratory skills. Data from the undergraduate Likert scale as well as the pre- and post-GTA rubrics further confirmed our UTA’s data interpretations. These findings are significant because they offer empirical data to support the suggestion that the UTA experience is an effective option for developing skills and knowledge in undergraduates that are essential for careers in science. The UTA experience provides a valuable alternative to the URA experience.

  1. Course-based undergraduate research experiences in molecular biosciences-patterns, trends, and faculty support.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jack T H

    2017-08-15

    Inquiry-driven learning, research internships and course-based undergraduate research experiences all represent mechanisms through which educators can engage undergraduate students in scientific research. In life sciences education, the benefits of undergraduate research have been thoroughly evaluated, but limitations in infrastructure and training can prevent widespread uptake of these practices. It is not clear how faculty members can integrate complex laboratory techniques and equipment into their unique context, while finding the time and resources to implement undergraduate research according to best practice guidelines. This review will go through the trends and patterns in inquiry-based undergraduate life science projects with particular emphasis on molecular biosciences-the research-aligned disciplines of biochemistry, molecular cell biology, microbiology, and genomics and bioinformatics. This will provide instructors with an overview of the model organisms, laboratory techniques and research questions that are adaptable for semester-long projects, and serve as starting guidelines for course-based undergraduate research. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Online journalism meets the university: ideas for teaching and research

    OpenAIRE

    Salaverría, R. (Ramón)

    2011-01-01

    During the last decade, the teaching and research on online journalism has become widespread in journalism faculties throughout the world. Such development has brought many undergraduate and graduate courses on the issue, as well as a number of networks of researchers and specialized publications in many countries. Once this initial process is over, it is time to bring the discipline of online journalism to its maturity at the university. For this aim, the author proposes to switch the curren...

  3. Researching Undergraduate Social Science Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rand, Jane

    2016-01-01

    The experience(s) of undergraduate research students in the social sciences is under-represented in the literature in comparison to the natural sciences or science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The strength of STEM undergraduate research learning environments is understood to be related to an apprenticeship-mode of learning supported…

  4. Online journalism meets the university: ideas for teaching and research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramón Salaverría

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available During the last decade, the teaching and research on online journalism has become widespread in journalism faculties throughout the world. Such development has brought many undergraduate and graduate courses on the issue, as well as a number of networks of researchers and specialized publications in many countries. Once this initial process is over, it is time to bring the discipline of online journalism to its maturity at the university. For this aim, the author proposes to switch the current training model, which basically shows how to manage digital tools, to another broader one that teaches journalism principles and skills in an online environment. Regarding research, he suggests not to limit it to descriptive studies, but to develop also more analytical works that could better serve both the academic community and the online media professionals.

  5. ONLINE JOURNALISM MEETS THE UNIVERSITY: ideas for teaching and research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramón Salaverría

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available During the last decade, the teaching and research on online journalism has become widespread in journalism faculties throughout the world. Such development has brought many undergraduate and graduate courses on the issue, as well as a number of networks of researchers and specialized publications in many countries. Once this initial process is over, it is time to bring the discipline of online journalism to its maturity at the university. For this aim, the author proposes to switch the current training model, which basically shows how to manage digital tools, to another broader one that teaches journalism principles and skills in an online environment. Regarding research, he suggests not to limit it to descriptive studies, but to develop also more analytical works that could better serve both the academic community and the online media professionals.

  6. The Geosciences Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (GeoCUR): Supporting Faculty that Mentor Undergraduate Researchers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, L. K.; Guertin, L. A.; Manley, P. L.; Fortner, S. K.

    2012-12-01

    Undergraduate research is a proven effective pedagogy that has a number of benefits including: enhancing student learning through mentoring relationships with faculty; increasing retention; increasing enrollment in graduate programs; developing critical thinking, creativity, problem solving and intellectual independence; and, developing an understanding of research methodology. Undergraduate research also has been demonstrated in preparing students for careers. In addition to developing disciplinary and technical expertise, participation in undergraduate research helps students improve communication skills (written, oral, and graphical) and time management. Early involvement in undergraduate research improves retention and, for those engaged at the 2YC level, helps students successfully transfers to 4YC. The Geosciences Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (GeoCUR) supports faculty in their development of undergraduate research programs at all levels. GeoCUR leads workshops for new and future faculty covering all aspects of undergraduate research including incorporating research into coursework, project design, mentoring students, sustaining programs, and funding sources. GeoCUR members support new faculty by providing a range of services including: peer-review of grant proposals; advice on establishing an undergraduate research program; balancing teaching and research demands; and networking with other geoscientist. GeoCUR has also developed web resources that support faculty and departments in development of undergraduate research programs (http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/undergraduate_research/index.html). This presentation will describe the services provided by GeoCUR and highlight examples of programs and resources available to geoscientists in all career stages for effective undergraduate research mentoring and development.

  7. Use of a journal club and letter-writing exercise to teach critical appraisal to medical undergraduates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, R; White, M; Gray, J; Fischbacher, C

    2001-07-01

    There is growing interest in methods of teaching critical appraisal skills at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We describe an approach using a journal club and subsequent letter writing to teach critical appraisal and writing skills to medical undergraduates. The exercise occurs during a 3-week public health medicine attachment in the third year of the undergraduate curriculum. Students work in small groups to appraise a recently published research paper, present their findings to their peers in a journal club, and draft a letter to the journal editor. Evaluation took place through: informal and formal feedback from students; number of letters written, submitted and published, and a comparison of marks obtained by students submitting a literature review assignment with and without critical appraisal teaching during the public health attachment. Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive. In the first 3(1/2) years, 26 letters have been published or accepted for publication, and 58 letters published on the Internet. There were no significant differences in overall marks or marks for the critical appraisal component of the literature review assignments between the two student groups. We believe our approach is an innovative and enjoyable method for teaching critical appraisal and writing skills to medical students. Lack of difference in marks in the literature review between the student groups may reflect its insensitivity as an outcome measure, contamination by other critical appraisal teaching, or true ineffectiveness.

  8. Organization of an undergraduate research group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, J.; Noteboom, E.

    1995-01-01

    Traditionally, research groups consist of senior physicists, staff members, and graduate students. The physics department at Creighton University has formed a Relativistic Heavy Ion physics research group consisting primarily of undergraduate students. Although senior staff and graduate students are actively involved, undergraduate research and the education of undergraduates is the focus of the group. The presentation, given by two undergraduate members of the group, will outline progress made in the group's organization, discuss the benefits to the undergraduate group members, and speak to the balance which must be struck between education concerns and research goals

  9. Introducing Research Methods to Undergraduate Majors Through an On-Campus Observatory with The University of Toledo's Ritter Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, Noel; Hardegree-Ullman, Kevin; Bjorkman, Jon Eric; Bjorkman, Karen S.; Ritter Observing Team

    2017-01-01

    With a 1-m telescope on the University of Toledo (OH) main campus, we have initiated a grad student-undergraduate partnership to help teach the undergraduates observational methods and introduce them to research through peer mentorship. For the last 3 years, we have trained up to 21 undergraduates (primarily physics/astronomy majors) in a given academic semester, ranging from freshman to seniors. Various projects are currently being conducted by undergraduate students with guidance from graduate student mentors, including constructing three-color images, observations of transiting exoplanets, and determination of binary star orbits from echelle spectra. This academic year we initiated a large group research project to help students learn about the databases, journal repositories, and online observing tools astronomers use for day-to-day research. We discuss early inclusion in observational astronomy and research of these students and the impact it has on departmental retention, undergraduate involvement, and academic success.

  10. African Journal of AIDS Research: Journal Sponsorship

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal of AIDS Research: Journal Sponsorship. Journal Home > About the Journal > African Journal of AIDS Research: Journal Sponsorship. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  11. African Journal of Management Research: Journal Sponsorship

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal of Management Research: Journal Sponsorship. Journal Home > About the Journal > African Journal of Management Research: Journal Sponsorship. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  12. Undergraduate Medical Education Research in Malaysia: Time for a Change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salam, Abdus; Hamzah, Jemaima Che; Chin, Tan Geok; Siraj, Harlina Halizah; Idrus, Ruszymah; Mohamad, Nabishah; Raymond, Azman Ali

    2015-01-01

    Special Study Module (SSM) is a mandatory research module implemented in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). The objective of this paper is to provide a brief overview on the student research activities and to find out the outcome measures in terms of publication. It was a retrospective study done on SSM research projects at UKM. The SSM research is conducted from beginning of year-4 until 1(st) seven weeks of year-5. In year-4, students are assigned to a faculty-supervisor in small groups and spend every Thursday afternoon to plan and carry the research. Whole first seven weeks of year-5, students are placed with their supervisor continuously to collect data, do analysis, write report and present in the scientific conference. Outcomes of 5-years SSM research-projects starting from 2008/2009 to 2012/2013 academic session were analyzed. Total 257 projects were completed and presented in annual scientific meetings from which 57 (22.2%) articles were published in peer reviewed journals. Mandatory undergraduate student research project brings an opportunity to develop students' capacity building from conception to final report writing and thereby narrowing the gap between education and practice. Medical schools should implement research module to bring changes in research and publication culture of undergraduate medical education.

  13. Teaching and Research at Undergraduate Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garg, Shila

    2006-03-01

    My own career path has been non-traditional and I ended up at a primarily undergraduate institution by pure accident. However, teaching at a small college has been extremely rewarding to me, since I get to know and interact with my students, have an opportunity to work with them one-on-one and promote their intellectual growth and sense of social responsibility. One of the growing trends at undergraduate institutions in the past decade has been the crucial role of undergraduate research as part of the teaching process and the training of future scientists. There are several liberal arts institutions that expect research-active Faculty who can mentor undergraduate research activities. Often faculty members at these institutions consider their roles as teacher-scholars with no boundary between these two primary activities. A researcher who is in touch with the developments in his/her own field and contributes to new knowledge in the field is likely to be a more exciting teacher in the classroom and share the excitement of discovery with the students. At undergraduate institutions, there is generally very good support available for faculty development projects in both teaching and research. Often, there is a generous research leave program as well. For those who like advising and mentoring undergraduates and a teaching and learning centered paradigm, I will recommend a career at an undergraduate institution. In my presentation, I will talk about how one can prepare for such a career.

  14. Mentored undergraduate research in the geosciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Judge, Shelley; Pollock, Meagen; Wiles, Greg; Wilson, Mark

    2012-09-01

    There is little argument about the merits of undergraduate research, but it can seem like a complex, resource-intensive endeavor [e.g., Laursen et al., 2010; Lopatto, 2009; Hunter et al., 2006]. Although mentored undergraduate research can be challenging, the authors of this feature have found that research programs are strengthened when students and faculty collaborate to build new knowledge. Faculty members in the geology department at The College of Wooster have conducted mentored undergraduate research with their students for more than 60 years and have developed a highly effective program that enhances the teaching, scholarship, and research of our faculty and provides life-changing experiences for our students. Other colleges and universities have also implemented successful mentored undergraduate research programs in the geosciences. For instance, the 18 Keck Geology Consortium schools (http://keckgeology.org/), Princeton University, and other institutions have been recognized for their senior capstone experiences by U.S. News & World Report.

  15. Researching with undergraduate students

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wulf-Andersen, Trine Østergaard; Mogensen, Kevin; Hjort-Madsen, Peder

    2013-01-01

    The article presents a particular case of undergraduate students working on subprojects within the framework of their supervisors' (the authors') research project during Autumn Semester 2012 and Spring Semester 2013. The article's purpose is to show that an institutionalized focus on students...... as "research learners" rather than merely curriculum learners proves productive for both research and teaching. We describe the specific university learning context and the particular organization of undergraduate students' supervision and assistantships. The case builds on and further enhances a well......-established and proven university model of participant-directed, problem-oriented project work. We explore students' and researchers' experiences of being part of the collaboration, focusing on learning potentials and dilemmas associated with the multiple roles of researcher and student that characterized...

  16. The impacts and "best practices" of undergraduate - graduate student mentoring relationships in undergraduate research experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campanile, Megan Faurot

    With the growth of undergraduate research in the U.S., over the past two decades, faculty are more often assigning graduate students to mentor undergraduate students than providing the one-on-one mentoring themselves. A critical gap that exists in the literature is how undergraduate -- graduate student mentoring relationships in undergraduate research influences both students' academic and career paths. The research questions that framed this study were: (1) What, if any, changes occur in the academic and career paths of undergraduate and graduate students who participate in undergraduate research experiences? and (2) Are there variables that constitute "best practices" in the mentoring relationships in undergraduate research experiences and, if so, what are they? The study context was the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at Illinois Institute of Technology and the 113 undergraduate researchers and 31 graduate student mentors who participated from 2006 -- 2014. Surveys and interviews were administered to collect pre- and post-program data and follow-up data during the 2014 -- 2015 academic year. Descriptive statistics, content analysis method, and constant comparative method were used to analyze the data. Key findings on the undergraduate researchers were their actual earned graduate degree types (Ph.D. 20%, M.D. 20%, M.S. 48%, other 12%) and fields (STEM 57%, medical 35%, other 8%) and the careers they were pursuing or working in. All the graduate student mentors were pursuing or working in the STEM fields (academia 50%, industry 40%, government 10%). More than 75% of both the undergraduate and graduate students reported that their mentoring relationships had a somewhat to extremely influential impact on their academic and career paths. A set of "best practices" of mentoring were developed for both the undergraduate and graduate students and focused on the mentoring experiences related to learning and teaching about

  17. Astrobites: The Online Astronomy Research Digest for Undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faesi, Christopher; Astrobites Collaboration

    2013-06-01

    Astrobites (http://astrobites.org) is an innovative science education initiative developed by graduate students in astrophysics for an undergraduate audience. Our goal is to help undergraduates make the transition from the classroom to careers in research by introducing them to the astronomical literature in a pedagogical, approachable, and comprehensible way. Every day we select one new journal article posted to the astrophysics preprint server (http://arXiv.org/astro-ph) and prepare a brief summary describing methods and results, explaining jargon, and providing context. We also write regular blog posts containing career advice, such as tips for applying for graduate school, how to install astronomical software, or demystifying the publishing process. The articles are written by a team of about 30 graduate students in astrophysics from throughout the US and Europe. Since its founding in 2010, Astrobites has grown dramatically, now reaching more than 1000 daily readers in over 100 countries worldwide. Our audience includes not only undergraduates, but also interested non-scientists, educators, and professional researchers. More broadly, Astrobites is interested in fostering the development of vital communication skills that are crucial to a successful science career, yet not formally taught in most astronomy PhD programs. In addition to providing our graduate student authors with valuable opportunities to practice these skills through writing and editing articles, we organize events such as the upcoming workshop Communicating Science 2013, at which graduate students in all science fields from around the country will learn from and interact with panelists who are experts in science communication.

  18. Research Ethics with Undergraduates in Summer Research Training Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, I.; Yalcin, K.

    2016-02-01

    Many undergraduate research training programs incorporate research ethics into their programs and some are required. Engaging students in conversations around challenging topics such as conflict of interest, cultural and gender biases, what is science and what is normative science can difficult in newly formed student cohorts. In addition, discussing topics with more distant impacts such as science and policy, intellectual property and authorship, can be difficult for students in their first research experience that have more immediate concerns about plagiarism, data manipulation, and the student/faculty relationship. Oregon State University's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Ocean Sciences: From Estuaries to the Deep Sea as one model for incorporating a research ethics component into summer undergraduate research training programs. Weaved into the 10-week REU program, undergraduate interns participate in a series of conversations and a faculty mentor panel focused on research ethics. Topics discussed are in a framework for sharing myths, knowledge and personal experiences on issues in research with ethical implications. The series follows guidelines and case studies outlined from the text, On Being A Scientist: Responsible Conduct In Research Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, National Academy of Sciences.

  19. Undergraduate Medical Education Research in Malaysia: Time for a Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salam, Abdus; Hamzah, Jemaima Che; Chin, Tan Geok; Siraj, Harlina Halizah; Idrus, Ruszymah; Mohamad, Nabishah; Raymond, Azman Ali

    2015-01-01

    Objective: Special Study Module (SSM) is a mandatory research module implemented in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). The objective of this paper is to provide a brief overview on the student research activities and to find out the outcome measures in terms of publication. Methods: It was a retrospective study done on SSM research projects at UKM. The SSM research is conducted from beginning of year-4 until 1st seven weeks of year-5. In year-4, students are assigned to a faculty-supervisor in small groups and spend every Thursday afternoon to plan and carry the research. Whole first seven weeks of year-5, students are placed with their supervisor continuously to collect data, do analysis, write report and present in the scientific conference. Outcomes of 5-years SSM research-projects starting from 2008/2009 to 2012/2013 academic session were analyzed. Results: Total 257 projects were completed and presented in annual scientific meetings from which 57 (22.2%) articles were published in peer reviewed journals. Conclusion: Mandatory undergraduate student research project brings an opportunity to develop students’ capacity building from conception to final report writing and thereby narrowing the gap between education and practice. Medical schools should implement research module to bring changes in research and publication culture of undergraduate medical education. PMID:26150832

  20. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal: Journal Sponsorship

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal: Journal Sponsorship. Journal Home > About the Journal > Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal: Journal Sponsorship. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  1. Framing the Undergraduate Research Experience: Discovery Involvement in Retailing Undergraduate Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sternquist, Brenda; Huddleston, Patricia; Fairhurst, Ann

    2018-01-01

    We provide an overview of ways to involve undergraduate business and retailing students in faculty research projects and discuss advantages of these student-faculty collaborations. We use Kolb's experiential learning cycle to provide a framework for creating an effective and engaging undergraduate research experience and use it to classify types…

  2. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research: About this journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research: About this journal. Journal Home > Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research: About this journal. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  3. Nigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research: About this journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research: About this journal. Journal Home > Nigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research: About this journal. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  4. Rutgers Young Horse Teaching and Research Program: undergraduate student outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ralston, Sarah L

    2012-12-01

    Equine teaching and research programs are popular but expensive components of most land grant universities. External funding for equine research, however, is limited and restricts undergraduate research opportunities that enhance student learning. In 1999, a novel undergraduate teaching and research program was initiated at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. A unique aspect of this program was the use of young horses generally considered "at risk" and in need of rescue but of relatively low value. The media interest in such horses was utilized to advantage to obtain funding for the program. The use of horses from pregnant mare urine (PMU) ranches and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustangs held the risks of attracting negative publicity, potential of injury while training previously unhandled young horses, and uncertainty regarding re-sale value; however, none of these concerns were realized. For 12 years the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program received extensive positive press and provided invaluable learning opportunities for students. Over 500 students, at least 80 of which were minorities, participated in not only horse management and training but also research, event planning, public outreach, fund-raising, and website development. Public and industry support provided program sustainability with only basic University infrastructural support despite severe economic downturns. Student research projects generated 25 research abstracts presented at national and international meetings and 14 honors theses. Over 100 students went on to veterinary school or other higher education programs, and more than 100 others pursued equine- or science-related careers. Laudatory popular press articles were published in a wide variety of breed/discipline journals and in local and regional newspapers each year. Taking the risk of using "at risk" horses yielded positive outcomes for all, especially the undergraduate students.

  5. Undergraduate Research as Engaged Student Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Lorraine W.

    2018-01-01

    This chapter discusses the impact of undergraduate research as a form of engaged student learning. It summarizes the gains reported in post-fellowship assessment essays acquired from students participating in the Auburn University Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program. The chapter also discusses the program's efforts to increase opportunities…

  6. The journal of undergraduate neuroscience education: history, challenges, and future developments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunbar, Gary L; Lom, Barbara; Grisham, William; Ramirez, Julio J

    2009-01-01

    The 'JUNE and You' sessions presented at the July 2008 Undergraduate Neuroscience Education workshop, sponsored jointly by Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) and Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), featured background information about the history and mission of the Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (JUNE), followed by an informative discussion about the challenges facing JUNE, including new ideas for future developments. This article will highlight some of the information and ideas generated and shared at this conference. Critical discussion points included the need to keep members of FUN actively engaged in submitting and reviewing articles for JUNE. Ways in which authors, reviewers, and interested faculty members could best help in promoting the mission and vision of JUNE were discussed. Concerns about recent hackings into the JUNE website were also raised, and possible solutions and measures that can be taken to minimize this in the future were discussed. In addition, ideas for expanding the role of JUNE to provide a forum to evaluate new and emerging website information that is pertinent to undergraduate neuroscience education was discussed. Ideas for future developments of JUNE included revolving postings of articles as they are accepted, providing links to several related websites, and allowing updates for articles that have been previously published in JUNE. Finally, ideas for maintaining and expanding JUNE's stature as the resource for undergraduate neuroscience education included ensuring that JUNE is listed on important search vehicles, such as PubMed.

  7. Field Research in the Teaching of Undergraduate Soil Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brevik, Eric C.; Senturklu, Songul; Landblom, Douglas

    2015-04-01

    Several studies have demonstrated that undergraduate students benefit from research experiences. Benefits of undergraduate research include 1) personal and intellectual development, 2) more and closer contact with faculty, 3) the use of active learning techniques, 4) creation of high expectations, 5) development of creative and problem-solving skills, 6) greater independence and intrinsic motivation to learn, and 7) exposure to practical skills. The scientific discipline also benefits, as studies have shown that undergraduates who engage in research experiences are more likely to remain science majors and finish their degree program (Lopatto, 2007). Research experiences come as close as possible to allowing undergraduates to experience what it is like to be an academic or research member of their profession working to advance their discipline. Soils form in the field, therefore, field experiences are very important in developing a complete and holistic understanding of soil science. Combining undergraduate research with field experiences can provide extremely beneficial outcomes to the undergraduate student, including increased understanding of and appreciation for detailed descriptions and data analysis as well as an enhanced ability to see how various parts of their undergraduate education come together to understand a complex problem. The experiences of the authors in working with undergraduate students on field-based research projects will be discussed, along with examples of some of the undergraduate research projects that have been undertaken. In addition, student impressions of their research experiences will be presented. Reference Lopatto, D. 2007. Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE -- Life Sciences Education 6:297-306.

  8. Group-effort Applied Research: Expanding Opportunities for Undergraduate Research through Original, Class-Based Research Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Sean D.; Teter, Ken

    2014-01-01

    Undergraduate research clearly enriches the educational development of participating students, but these experiences are limited by the inherent inefficiency of the standard one student-one mentor model for undergraduate research. Group-effort applied research (GEAR) was developed as a strategy to provide substantial numbers of undergraduates with…

  9. Undergraduate Research as a Primary Pathway to STEM Careers: Perspectives from the Council on Undergraduate Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manley, P. L.; Ambos, E. L.

    2012-12-01

    Undergraduate research (UR) is one of the most authentic and effective ways to promote student learning, and is a high-impact educational practice that can lead to measurable gains in student retention and graduation rates, as well as career aspirations. In recent years, UR has expanded from intensive summer one-on-one faculty-student mentored experiences to application in a variety of educational settings, including large lower division courses. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), founded in 1978, is a national organization of individual (8000) and institutional members (650) within a divisional structure that includes geosciences, as well as 10 other thematic areas. CUR's main mission is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship that develops learning through research. CUR fulfills this mission through extensive publication offerings, faculty and student-directed professional development events, and outreach and advocacy activities that share successful models and strategies for establishing, institutionalizing, and sustaining undergraduate research programs. Over the last decade, CUR has worked with hundreds of academic institutions, including two-year colleges, to develop practices to build undergraduate research into campus cultures and operations. As documented in CUR publications such as Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research (COEUR), strategies institutions may adopt to enhance and sustain UR often include: (1) the establishment of a central UR campus office, (2) extensive student and faculty participation in campus-based, as well as regional UR celebration events, (3) development of a consistent practice of assessment of UR's impact on student success, and, (4) establishment of clear policies for recognizing and rewarding faculty engagement in UR, particularly with respect to mentorship and publication with student scholars. Three areas of current focus within the

  10. Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment: Journal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment: Journal Sponsorship. Journal Home > About the Journal > Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment: Journal Sponsorship. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  11. A Survey of Campus Coordinators of Undergraduate Research Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hensley, Merinda Kaye; Shreeves, Sarah L.; Davis-Kahl, Stephanie

    2015-01-01

    Interest in supporting undergraduate research programs continues to grow within academic librarianship. This article presents how undergraduate research program coordinators perceive and value library support of their programs. Undergraduate research coordinators from a variety of institutions were surveyed on which elements of libraries and…

  12. Medical Research Volunteer Program (MRVP): innovative program promoting undergraduate research in the medical field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dagher, Michael M; Atieh, Jessica A; Soubra, Marwa K; Khoury, Samia J; Tamim, Hani; Kaafarani, Bilal R

    2016-06-06

    Most educational institutions lack a structured system that provides undergraduate students with research exposure in the medical field. The objective of this paper is to describe the structure of the Medical Research Volunteer Program (MRVP) which was established at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, as well as to assess the success of the program. The MRVP is a program that targets undergraduate students interested in becoming involved in the medical research field early on in their academic career. It provides students with an active experience and the opportunity to learn from and support physicians, clinical researchers, basic science researchers and other health professionals. Through this program, students are assigned to researchers and become part of a research team where they observe and aid on a volunteer basis. This paper presents the MRVP's four major pillars: the students, the faculty members, the MRVP committee, and the online portal. Moreover, details of the MRVP process are provided. The success of the program was assessed by carrying out analyses using information gathered from the MRVP participants (both students and faculty). Satisfaction with the program was assessed using a set of questions rated on a Likert scale, ranging from 1 (lowest satisfaction) to 5 (highest satisfaction). A total of 211 students applied to the program with a total of 164 matches being completed. Since the beginning of the program, three students have each co-authored a publication in peer-reviewed journals with their respective faculty members. The majority of the students rated the program positively. Of the total number of students who completed the program period, 35.1 % rated the effectiveness of the program with a 5, 54.8 % rated 4, and 8.6 % rated 3. A small number of students gave lower ratings of 2 and 1 (1.1 % and 0.4 %, respectively). The MRVP is a program that provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to learn about research firsthand

  13. What do medical students understand by research and research skills? Identifying research opportunities within undergraduate projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah; Drewery, Sarah; Elton, Sarah; Emmerson, Catherine; Marshall, Michelle; Smith, John A; Stark, Patsy; Whittle, Sue

    2010-01-01

    Undergraduate research exposure leads to increased recruitment into academic medicine, enhanced employability and improved postgraduate research productivity. Uptake of undergraduate research opportunities is reported to be disappointing, and little is known about how students perceive research. To investigate opportunities for undergraduate participation in research, recognition of such opportunities, and associated skills development. A mixed method approach, incorporating student focus and study groups, and documentary analysis at five UK medical schools. Undergraduates recognised the benefits of acquiring research skills, but identified practical difficulties and disadvantages of participating. Analysis of 905 projects in four main research skill areas - (1) research methods; (2) information gathering; (3) critical analysis and review; (4) data processing - indicated 52% of projects provided opportunities for students to develop one or more skills, only 13% offered development in all areas. In 17%, project descriptions provided insufficient information to determine opportunities. Supplied with information from a representative sample of projects (n = 80), there was little consensus in identifying skills among students or between students and researchers. Consensus improved dramatically following guidance on how to identify skills. Undergraduates recognise the benefits of research experience but need a realistic understanding of the research process. Opportunities for research skill development may not be obvious. Undergraduates require training to recognise the skills required for research and enhanced transparency in potential project outcomes.

  14. Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Can Make Scientific Research More Inclusive

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bangera, Gita; Brownell, Sara E.

    2014-01-01

    Current approaches to improving diversity in scientific research focus on graduating more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, but graduation with a STEM undergraduate degree alone is not sufficient for entry into graduate school. Undergraduate independent research experiences are becoming more or less a prerequisite…

  15. Internet Usage and Academic Performance of Undergraduate ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Internet Usage and Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students in University of Ilorin, Nigeria. ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH. AFRICAN JOURNALS ... This study adopted descriptive survey method. Six faculties ...

  16. Students' perspectives of undergraduate research methods ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Introduction: in this study we used a model of adult learning to explore undergraduate students' views on how to improve the teaching of research methods and biostatistics. Methods: this was a secondary analysis of survey data of 600 undergraduate students from three medical schools in Uganda. The analysis looked at ...

  17. Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sample McMeeking, L. B.; Weinberg, A. E.

    2013-12-01

    Research experiences for undergraduates (REU) have been shown to be effective in improving undergraduate students' personal/professional development, ability to synthesize knowledge, improvement in research skills, professional advancement, and career choice. Adding to the literature on REU programs, a new conceptual model situating REU within a context of participatory action research (PAR) is presented and compared with data from a PAR-based coastal climate research experience that took place in Summer 2012. The purpose of the interdisciplinary Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates (PAREU) model is to act as an additional year to traditional, lab-based REU where undergraduate science students, social science experts, and community members collaborate to develop research with the goal of enacting change. The benefits to traditional REU's are well established and include increased content knowledge, better research skills, changes in attitudes, and greater career awareness gained by students. Additional positive outcomes are expected from undergraduate researchers (UR) who participate in PAREU, including the ability to better communicate with non-scientists. With highly politicized aspects of science, such as climate change, this becomes especially important for future scientists. Further, they will be able to articulate the relevance of science research to society, which is an important skill, especially given the funding climate where agencies require broader impacts statements. Making science relevant may also benefit URs who wish to apply their science research. Finally, URs will gain social science research skills by apprenticing in a research project that includes science and social science research components, which enables them to participate in future education and outreach. The model also positively impacts community members by elevating their voices within and outside the community, particularly in areas severely underserved

  18. Undergraduate research: a case study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koppelman, Hermannus; van Dijk, Elisabeth M.A.G.; van der Hoeven, Gerrit

    This paper describes a one semester research course for undergraduates of computing programs. Students formulate a research proposal, conduct research and write a full paper. They present the results at a one-day student conference. On the one hand we offer the students a lot of structure and

  19. Bio-Research: About this journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bio-Research: About this journal. Journal Home > Bio-Research: About this journal. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. People. » Contact. Policies. » Focus and ...

  20. How to apply to a summer undergraduate research program

    OpenAIRE

    Jafree, D. J.; Koshy, K.

    2017-01-01

    Want to get more experience in research, but find it difficult as an undergraduate? A summer research project may be the answer and there are many ways to organize this. Various universities around the world offer summer undergraduate research programs. These tend to be very competitive; hundreds, even thousands of students can apply for only a handful of positions. However, with some proactivity and strong planning, diligent undergraduate students can get accepted onto these prestigious prog...

  1. Providing Real Research Opoportunities to Undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ragozzine, Darin

    2016-01-01

    The current approach to undergraduate education focuses on teaching classes which provide the foundational knowledge for more applied experiences such as scientific research. Like most programs, Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech or FIT) strongly encourages undergraduate research, but is dominated by content-focused courses (e.g., "Physical Mechanics"). Research-like experiences are generally offered through "lab" classes, but these are almost always reproductions of past experiments: contrived, formulaic, and lacking the "heart" of real (i.e., potentially publishable) scientific research. Real research opportunities 1) provide students with realistic insight into the actual scientific process; 2) excite students far more than end-of-chapter problems; 3) provide context for the importance of learning math, physics, and astrophysics concepts; and 4) allow unique research progress for well-chosen problems. I have provided real research opportunities as an "Exoplanet Lab" component of my Introduction to Space Science (SPS1020) class at Florida Tech, generally taken by first-year majors in our Physics, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Planetary Science, and Astrobiology degree programs. These labs are a hybrid between citizen science (e.g., PlanetHunters) and simultaneously mentoring ~60 undergraduates in similar small research projects. These projects focus on problems that can be understood in the context of the course, but which benefit from "crowdsourcing". Examples include: dividing up the known planetary systems and developing a classification scheme and organizing them into populations (Fall 2013); searching through folded light curves to discover new exoplanets missed by previous pipelines (Fall 2014); and fitting n-body models to all exoplanets with known Transit Timing Variations to estimate planet masses (Fall 2015). The students love the fact that they are doing real potentially publishable research: not many undergraduates can claim to have discovered

  2. Designing Effective Undergraduate Research Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Severson, S.

    2010-12-01

    I present a model for designing student research internships that is informed by the best practices of the Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) Professional Development Program. The dual strands of the CfAO education program include: the preparation of early-career scientists and engineers in effective teaching; and changing the learning experiences of students (e.g., undergraduate interns) through inquiry-based "teaching laboratories." This paper will focus on the carry-over of these ideas into the design of laboratory research internships such as the CfAO Mainland internship program as well as NSF REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) and senior-thesis or "capstone" research programs. Key ideas in maximizing student learning outcomes and generating productive research during internships include: defining explicit content, scientific process, and attitudinal goals for the project; assessment of student prior knowledge and experience, then following up with formative assessment throughout the project; setting reasonable goals with timetables and addressing motivation; and giving students ownership of the research by implementing aspects of the inquiry process within the internship.

  3. Undergraduate Research as a Process for STEM Teaching and Learning Systemic Change: Lessons Learned from the Council on Undergraduate Research NSF CCLI and TUES Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambos, E. L.; Havholm, K. G.; Malachowski, M.; Osborn, J.; Karukstis, K.

    2013-12-01

    For more than seven years, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), the primary organization supporting programs, services, and advocacy for undergraduate research, has been working with support from the NSF's Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) to enhance, sustain, and institutionalize undergraduate research in diverse STEM disciplines and higher education settings. The Council on Undergraduate Research comprises more than 9000 individual and 670 institutional members within a divisional structure that includes geosciences, as well as 11 other thematic areas. Through its most recent grant: 'Transformational Learning through Undergraduate Research: Comprehensive Support for Faculty, Institutions, State Systems and Consortia' (NSF DUE CCLI III Award #09-20275), CUR has been collaborating with six higher education systems, each selected after a rigorous national application process in 2010 and 2011. These six systems, which collectively represent 79 individual institutions, are the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), University of Wisconsin System (UWS), California State University System (CSU), City University of New York (CUNY), Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA), and Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The more than 350 participants of faculty and senior-level administrators from the six systems are engaged in shared multi-faceted and multi-year professional development experiences. Teams from each system attended customized institutes facilitated by CUR experts in 2011-2012, during which the teams developed specific action plans focused on institutionalizing undergraduate research on their campus and within their system. The systems were reconvened as a group a year after the first institute, to chart progress toward achieving their goals. Based on interviews and surveys with participants, campus teams are making substantial progress toward implementation of robust undergraduate research programs, and are making

  4. Interpreting Undergraduate Research Posters in the Literature Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manarin, Karen

    2016-01-01

    This essay explores the use of undergraduate research posters in English literature classrooms; at the same time, it argues for a scholarship of teaching and learning responsive to how meaning is constructed in the arts and humanities. Our scholarly practice requires interaction with texts and with each other, yet the undergraduate research paper…

  5. Undergraduate medical research: the student perspective.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Burgoyne, Louise N

    2010-01-01

    Research training is essential in a modern undergraduate medical curriculum. Our evaluation aimed to (a) gauge students\\' awareness of research activities, (b) compare students\\' perceptions of their transferable and research-specific skills competencies, (c) determine students\\' motivation for research and (d) obtain students\\' personal views on doing research.

  6. A Social Capital Perspective on the Mentoring of Undergraduate Life Science Researchers: An Empirical Study of Undergraduate-Postgraduate-Faculty Triads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aikens, Melissa L; Sadselia, Sona; Watkins, Keiana; Evans, Mara; Eby, Lillian T; Dolan, Erin L

    2016-01-01

    Undergraduate researchers at research universities are often mentored by graduate students or postdoctoral researchers (referred to collectively as "postgraduates") and faculty, creating a mentoring triad structure. Triads differ based on whether the undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty member interact with one another about the undergraduate's research. Using a social capital theory framework, we hypothesized that different triad structures provide undergraduates with varying resources (e.g., information, advice, psychosocial support) from the postgraduates and/or faculty, which would affect the undergraduates' research outcomes. To test this, we collected data from a national sample of undergraduate life science researchers about their mentoring triad structure and a range of outcomes associated with research experiences, such as perceived gains in their abilities to think and work like scientists, science identity, and intentions to enroll in a PhD program. Undergraduates mentored by postgraduates alone reported positive outcomes, indicating that postgraduates can be effective mentors. However, undergraduates who interacted directly with faculty realized greater outcomes, suggesting that faculty interaction is important for undergraduates to realize the full benefits of research. The "closed triad," in which undergraduates, postgraduates, and faculty all interact directly, appeared to be uniquely beneficial; these undergraduates reported the highest gains in thinking and working like a scientist. © 2016 M. L. Aikens et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  7. Understanding Poverty: Teaching Social Justice in Undergraduate Nursing Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hellman, Ann N; Cass, Cary; Cathey, Heather; Smith, Sarah L; Hurley, Shelia

    This article presents results of an exploratory qualitative study examining gains in empathy and social justice beliefs among undergraduate nursing students. As undergraduate nursing education provides the foundation for future forensic nurses, developing successful methods to increase beliefs and behaviors of social empathy and social justice among nursing students will have a beneficial effect on the specialty of forensic nursing. As such, a team of nursing researchers explored the effects of a poverty simulation on the social empathy and social justice beliefs held by undergraduate students. The research team conducted an exploratory qualitative study of student reflective journals. Using an inductive interpretive process, the researchers performed a content analysis of student responses. The researchers identified three constitutive patterns and eight supporting themes as reflected in the students' reflective journals after participation in poverty simulation sessions. This research study found that, when nursing students participate in poverty simulation experiences, they gain an increased understanding of the vulnerability and complexities of living in poverty and are motivated to both advocate for patients and become change agents. Such increases in social empathy and promotion of social justice will inevitably positively affect their future practice and inform their development as forensic nurses.

  8. Research Journal of Health Sciences

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search · USING AJOL ... The Research Journal of Health Sciences is dedicated to promoting high quality research work in the field of health and related biological sciences. It aligns ...

  9. Characteristics of undergraduate medical thesis of a Peruvian public university

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Betty Castro Maldonado

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The undergraduate thesis rather than a requirement to graduate, are a way of doing research. Previous studies show a thesis published between 2.7% to 17.6% in indexed journals. Objective: Describe the characteristics of the undergraduate thesis of the Faculty of a medical school. Bibliometric study. 221 theses were reviewed, collecting: Year, number of authors, advisers, and references, study population, and national priorities for health research. A search was performed on Google Scholar to assess publication. Descriptive statistics were used. Results: Being lower production in the years 2008-2010 was observed. 91.6% had one advisor, 76% descriptive, 82.8% in hospital population, and 62.4% of adults. Theses displayed between 2010-2014 72.9% did not correspond to any national health research priority. Only 6.8% was based on literature of the last five years. Only 9 (4.1% were published in a scientific journal indexed. Conclusions: The undergraduate thesis were characterized as descriptive, hospital, adults, literature based on outdated and not in line with the national priorities for health research. The publication is low.

  10. The SUPER Program: A Research-based Undergraduate Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ernakovich, J. G.; Boone, R. B.; Boot, C. M.; Denef, K.; Lavallee, J. M.; Moore, J. C.; Wallenstein, M. D.

    2014-12-01

    Producing undergraduates capable of broad, independent thinking is one of the grand challenges in science education. Experience-based learning, specifically hands-on research, is one mechanism for increasing students' ability to think critically. With this in mind, we created a two-semester long research program called SUPER (Skills for Undergraduate Participation in Ecological Research) aimed at teaching students to think like scientists and enhancing the student research experience through instruction and active-learning about the scientific method. Our aim was for students to gain knowledge, skills, and experience, and to conduct their own research. In the first semester, we hosted active-learning workshops on "Forming Hypotheses", "Experimental Design", "Collecting and Managing Data", "Analysis of Data", "Communicating to a Scientific Audience", "Reading Literature Effectively", and "Ethical Approaches". Each lesson was taught by different scientists from one of many ecological disciplines so that students were exposed to the variation in approach that scientists have. In the second semester, students paired with a scientific mentor and began doing research. To ensure the continued growth of the undergraduate researcher, we continued the active-learning workshops and the students attended meetings with their mentors. Thus, the students gained technical and cognitive skills in parallel, enabling them to understand both "the how" and "the why" of what they were doing in their research. The program culminated with a research poster session presented by the students. The interest in the program has grown beyond our expectations, and we have now run the program successfully for two years. Many of the students have gone on to campus research jobs, internships and graduate school, and have attributed part of their success in obtaining their positions to their experience with the SUPER program. Although common in other sciences, undergraduate research experiences are

  11. Successful Undergraduate Research: Creating Win-Win-Win

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guswa, A. J.; Rhodes, A. L.

    2003-12-01

    Undergraduate involvement in research has the potential to advance science, enhance education, strengthen the research community, and raise general awareness of the importance and impact of scientific understanding. Rather than being competing objectives, these goals are synergistic. Effective research experiences are those that create win-win-win situations: benefits to the student, benefits to the project, and benefits to the scientific community. When structured appropriately, undergraduate research fits into a learner-centered paradigm that puts emphasis on student learning, rather than instructor teaching. Under such a paradigm the student and professor learn together, constructing knowledge by integrating information with critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and use this knowledge to address issues in real-life contexts. Creating such a learning environment requires that the professor be vested in the outcome of the research, that the student take a meta-cognitive approach to the project and work at a level appropriate to her abilities, and that the student understand how her contribution fits into the project and the larger field. All of these factors lead to greater independence, confidence, and productivity on the part of the student. By providing undergraduates with these experiences, we introduce not only future scientists but also non-scientists to the excitement of discovery and the value of scientific research. Currently, we involve undergraduates in our research on the hydrology and geochemistry of a tropical montane cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. At the start of each student's involvement, we provide her with the big picture: our project goals, the relevant social issues, and the importance of watershed research. Each student then articulates her own educational and project objectives. Together, we choose tasks that match her skills and interests with our scholarly work. Specific activities range from literature review to

  12. Undergraduate Research and Academic Archives: Instruction, Learning and Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krause, Magia G.

    2010-01-01

    Colleges and universities are increasingly investing resources to promote undergraduate research. Undergraduate research can be broadly defined to incorporate scientific inquiry, creative expression, and scholarship with the result of producing original work. Academic archives and special collections can play a vital role in the undergraduate…

  13. Negotiating Peer Mentoring Roles in Undergraduate Research Lab Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Packard, Becky W.; Marciano, Vincenza N.; Payne, Jessica M.; Bledzki, Leszek A.; Woodard, Craig T.

    2014-01-01

    Undergraduate research is viewed as an important catalyst for educational engagement and persistence, with an emphasis on the faculty mentoring relationship. Despite the common practice of having multi-tiered lab teams composed of newer undergraduates and more seasoned undergraduates serving as peer mentors, less is understood about the experience…

  14. From Mentoring to Collaborating: Fostering Undergraduate Research in History

    Science.gov (United States)

    History Teacher, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The author of this essay argues that historians should join their colleagues in the sciences in creating supportive environments for undergraduate research. Despite the apparent hurdles to overcome, historians can devise effective undergraduate research experiences that mimic those occurring in the chemistry, biology, and psychology labs across…

  15. Undergraduate research involving human subjects should not be granted ethical approval unless it is likely to be of publishable quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallagher, Cathal T; McDonald, Lisa J; McCormack, Niamh P

    2014-06-01

    Small-scale research projects involving human subjects have been identified as being effective in developing critical appraisal skills in undergraduate students. In deciding whether to grant ethical approval to such projects, university research ethics committees must weigh the benefits of the research against the risk of harm or discomfort to the participants. As the learning objectives associated with student research can be met without the need for human subjects, the benefit associated with training new healthcare professionals cannot, in itself, justify such risks. The outputs of research must be shared with the wider scientific community if it is to influence future practice. Our survey of 19 UK universities indicates that undergraduate dissertations associated with the disciplines of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy are not routinely retained in their library catalogues, thus closing a major avenue to the dissemination of their findings. If such research is unlikely to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at a conference, or otherwise made available to other researchers, then the risks of harm, discomfort or inconvenience to participants are unlikely to be offset by societal benefits. Ethics committees should be satisfied that undergraduate research will be funnelled into further research that is likely to inform clinical practice before granting ethical approval.

  16. Alive and aware: Undergraduate research as a mechanism for program vitalization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohs, C.

    2013-12-01

    Undergraduate research is a vital component of many geoscience programs across the United States. It is especially critical at those institutions that do not have graduate students or graduate programs in the geosciences. This paper presents findings associated with undergraduate research in four specific areas: The success of students that pursue undergraduate research both in the workforce and in graduate studies; the connections that are generated through undergraduate research and publication; the application of undergraduate research data and materials in the classroom; and the development of lasting connections between faculty and students to construct a strong alumni base to support the corresponding programs. Students that complete undergraduate research have the opportunity to develop research proposals, construct budgets, become familiar with equipment or software, write and defend their results. This skill set translates directly to graduate studies; however, it is also extremely valuable for self-marketing when seeking employment as a geoscientist. When transitioning from higher education into the workforce, a network of professional connections facilitates and expedites the process. When completing undergraduate research, students have a direct link to the faculty member that they are working with, and potentially, the network of that faculty member. Even more important, the student begins to build their own professional network as they present their findings and receive feedback on their research. Another area that benefits from undergraduate research is the classroom. A cyclical model is developed where new data and information are brought into the classroom by the faculty member, current students see the impact of undergraduate research and have the desire to participate, and a few of those students elect to participate in a project of their own. It turns into a positive feedback loop that is beneficial for both the students and the faculty members

  17. Undergraduate Research in Physics as an Educational Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakim, Toufic M.; Garg, Shila

    2001-03-01

    The National Science Foundation's 1996 report "Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology" urged that in order to improve SME&T education, decisive action must be taken so that "all students have access to excellent undergraduate education in science .... and all students learn these subjects by direct experience with the methods and processes of inquiry." Research-related educational activities that integrate education and research have been shown to be valuable in improving the quality of education and enhancing the number of majors in physics departments. Student researchers develop a motivation to continue in science and engineering through an appreciation of how science is done and the excitement of doing frontier research. We will address some of the challenges of integrating research into the physics undergraduate curriculum effectively. The departmental and institutional policies and infrastructure required to help prepare students for this endeavor will be discussed as well as sources of support and the establishment of appropriate evaluation procedures.

  18. Student Perceptions on Live-Case Projects: Undergraduate Marketing Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gundala, Raghava Rao; Singh, Mandeep; Baldwin, Andrew

    2014-01-01

    This paper is an investigation into undergraduate students' perceptions on use of live projects as a teaching pedagogy in marketing research courses. Students in undergraduate marketing research courses from fall 2009 to spring 2013 completed an online questionnaire consisting of 17 items. The results suggested that student understanding of…

  19. Global Journal of Engineering Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Global Journal of Engineering Research is aimed at promoting research in all areas of Engineering Research including Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Chemical, Electronics, Geological etc. Visit the Global Journal Series website here: http://www.globaljournalseries.com/ ...

  20. Group-Effort Applied Research (GEAR): Expanding Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Through Original, Class-Based Research Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Sean D.; Teter, Ken

    2014-01-01

    Undergraduate research clearly enriches the educational development of participating students, but these experiences are limited by the inherent inefficiency of the standard one student - one mentor model for undergraduate research. Group-Effort Applied Research (GEAR) was developed as a strategy to provide substantial numbers of undergraduates with meaningful research experiences. The GEAR curriculum delivers concept-driven lecture material and provides hands-on training in the context of an active research project from the instructor's lab. Because GEAR is structured as a class, participating students benefit from intensive, supervised research training that involves a built-in network of peer support and abundant contact with faculty mentors. The class format also ensures a relatively standardized and consistent research experience. Furthermore, meaningful progress toward a research objective can be achieved more readily with GEAR than with the traditional one student - one mentor model of undergraduate research because sporadic mistakes by individuals in the class are overshadowed by the successes of the group as a whole. Three separate GEAR classes involving three distinct research projects have been offered to date. In this paper, we provide an overview of the GEAR format and review some of the recurring themes for GEAR instruction. We propose GEAR can serve as a template to expand student opportunities for life science research without sacrificing the quality of the mentored research experience. PMID:24898007

  1. Undergraduate Research or Research-Based Courses: Which Is Most Beneficial for Science Students?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olivares-Donoso, Ruby; González, Carlos

    2017-06-01

    Over the last 25 years, both research literature and practice-oriented reports have claimed the need for improving the quality of undergraduate science education through linking research and teaching. Two manners of doing this are reported: undergraduate research and research-based courses. Although there are studies reporting benefits of participating in these experiences, few synthesize their findings. In this article, we present a literature review aimed at synthesizing and comparing results of the impact of participating in these research experiences to establish which approach is most beneficial for students to develop as scientists. Twenty studies on student participation in undergraduate research and research-based courses were reviewed. Results show that both types of experiences have positive effects on students. These results have implications for both practice and research. Regarding practice, we propose ideas for designing and implementing experiences that combine both types of experiences. Concerning research, we identify some methodological limitations that should be addressed in further studies.

  2. The undergraduate research fellows program: a unique model to promote engagement in research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vessey, Judith A; DeMarco, Rosanna F

    2008-01-01

    Well-educated nurses with research expertise are needed to advance evidence-based nursing practice. A primary goal of undergraduate nursing curricula is to create meaningful participatory experiences to help students develop a research skill set that articulates with rapid career advancement of gifted, young graduates interested in nursing research and faculty careers. Three research enrichment models-undergraduate honors programs, research assistant work-for-hire programs, and research work/mentorship programs-to be in conjunction with standard research content are reviewed. The development and implementation of one research work/mentorship program, the Boston College undergraduate research fellows program (UGRF), is explicated. This process included surveying previous UGRFs followed by creating a retreat and seminars to address specific research skill sets. The research skill sets included (a) how to develop a research team, (b) accurate data retrieval, (c) ethical considerations, (d) the research process, (e) data management, (f) successful writing of abstracts, and (g) creating effective poster presentations. Outcomes include evidence of involvement in research productivity and valuing of evidenced-based practice through the UGRF mentorship process with faculty partners.

  3. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 12, No 6 (2013) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  4. An Evaluation of Research Ethics in Undergraduate Health Science Research Methodology Programs at a South African University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coetzee, Tanya; Hoffmann, Willem A; de Roubaix, Malcolm

    2015-10-01

    The amended research ethics policy at a South African University required the ethics review of undergraduate research projects, prompting the need to explore the content and teaching approach of research ethics education in health science undergraduate programs. Two qualitative data collection strategies were used: document analysis (syllabi and study guides) and semi-structured interviews with research methodology coordinators. Five main themes emerged: (a) timing of research ethics courses, (b) research ethics course content, (c) sub-optimal use of creative classroom activities to facilitate research ethics lectures, (d) understanding the need for undergraduate project research ethics review, and (e) research ethics capacity training for research methodology lecturers and undergraduate project supervisors. © The Author(s) 2015.

  5. International Journal of Herbs and Pharmacological Research ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... International Journal of Herbs and Pharmacological Research: Advanced Search ... either term; e.g., education OR research; Use parentheses to create more complex queries; ... African Journal of Biomedical Research, African Journal of Biotechnology, African Journal of ...

  6. Valuing Professional Development Components for Emerging Undergraduate Researchers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, I.

    2015-12-01

    In 2004 the Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) at Oregon State University (OSU) established a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program to engage undergraduate students in hands-on research training in the marine sciences. The program offers students the opportunity to conduct research focused on biological and ecological topics, chemical and physical oceanography, marine geology, and atmospheric science. In partnership with state and federal government agencies, this ten-week summer program has grown to include 20+ students annually. Participants obtain a background in the academic discipline, professional development training, and research experience to make informed decisions about careers and advanced degrees in marine and earth system sciences. Professional development components of the program are designed to support students in their research experience, explore career goals and develop skills necessary to becoming a successful young marine scientist. These components generally include seminars, discussions, workshops, lab tours, and standards of conduct. These componentscontribute to achieving the following professional development objectives for the overall success of new emerging undergraduate researchers: Forming a fellowship of undergraduate students pursuing marine research Stimulating student interest and understanding of marine research science Learning about research opportunities at Oregon State University "Cross-Training" - broadening the hands-on research experience Exploring and learning about marine science careers and pathways Developing science communication and presentation skills Cultivating a sense of belonging in the sciences Exposure to federal and state agencies in marine and estuarine science Academic and career planning Retention of talented students in the marine science Standards of conduct in science Details of this program's components, objectives and best practices will be discussed.

  7. Journal Writing: Enlivening Elementary Linear Algebra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meel, David E.

    1999-01-01

    Examines the various issues surrounding the implementation of journal writing in an undergraduate linear algebra course. Identifies the benefits of incorporating journal writing into an undergraduate mathematics course, which are supported with students' comments from their journals and their reflections on the process. Contains 14 references.…

  8. Archives: Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 50 of 97 ... Archives: Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. Journal Home > Archives: Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  9. Archives: Nigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 9 of 9 ... Archives: Nigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. Journal Home > Archives: Nigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  10. Survey Research in the Forest Science Journals - Insights from Journal Editors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirjana Stevanov

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Survey research is one of the most commonly applied approaches in the social sciences. In the forest research it has been used for more than five decades. In spite of that or the fact that the amount of survey-based articles in the forest science journals has increased during the last decade, their share in all articles published in 20 forest science journals (9,372 articles, 2005-2014 is quite modest (3.2%. In our paper we look at the opinions and attitudes of forest science journal editors towards survey research, as their perspective might enlarge our understanding of the use of this approach in the field of forestry. Materials and Methods: We selected 20 forest science journals - 15 from the SCI list and five non-SCI journals and contacted editors of these journals with the self-administered e-mail questionnaire. Data were collected in October 2014 and analyzed by descriptive statistics. The overall response rate was 75%. The assumptions for the study were based on the evidence addressing opinions and attitudes of journal editors from other research fields (finance since no similar study was found in the field of forestry. Results: The majority of editors reported the same review process for survey-based articles as for all others. In two journals, articles with the survey-based content are screened more rigorously and in two journals their publishing is generally discouraged. 40% of journal editors hold the view that no difference should be made between survey research and other types of original research, and another 40% think that survey research should in the first place play a complementary role. As the main strength of survey research editors see the possibility to obtain data unavailable from other sources. They perceive adverse selection and the difficulty to generalize results as the main weaknesses. Conclusions: Editors of forest science journals have similar opinion on survey research as those from the

  11. Educational Technology Research Journals: "Journal of Research on Technology in Education," 2001-2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Billings, Christopher; Nielsen, P. Lynne; Snyder, Aaron; Sorensen, Alec; West, Richard E.

    2012-01-01

    In this study, the authors examined the "Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE)" to discover trends from 2001-2010 in the topics covered in the articles, article types (including research methods used), authorship, and citation frequency. Articles from the journal dealt mostly with PK-12 settings and focused on technology…

  12. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    The International Journal of Health Research is an online international ... The journal welcomes original research papers, reviews and case reports on ..... mediator generated by endothelial cells, ... Springer Science and Business Media,.

  13. University of Mauritius Research Journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    for Researchers · for Journals · for Authors · for Policy Makers · about Open Access · Journal Quality. 521 African Journals. Browse By Category · Browse Alphabetically · Browse By Country · List All Titles · Free To Read Titles This Journal is Open Access. Featuring journals from 32 Countries: Algeria (5); Benin (2); Botswana ...

  14. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    The International Journal of Health Research is an online international journal ... research papers, reviews and case reports on current topics of special ... formulated as Gastroretentive Drug Delivery System ...... In vivo gastric studies were run.

  15. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    The International Journal of Health Research is an online international journal ... The journal is devoted to the promotion of health sciences and related disciplines (including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, biotechnology, cell and molecular ...

  16. Assessing Student Outcomes of Undergraduate Research with URSSA, the Undergraduate Student Self-Assessment Instrument

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laursen, S. L.; Weston, T. J.; Thiry, H.

    2012-12-01

    URSSA is the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment, an online survey instrument for programs and departments to use in assessing the student outcomes of undergraduate research (UR). URSSA focuses on what students learn from their UR experience, rather than whether they liked it. The online questionnaire includes both multiple-choice and open-ended items that focus on students' gains from undergraduate research. These gains include skills, knowledge, deeper understanding of the intellectual and practical work of science, growth in confidence, changes in identity, and career preparation. Other items probe students' participation in important research-related activities that lead to these gains (e.g. giving presentations, having responsibility for a project). These activities, and the gains themselves, are based in research and thus constitute a core set of items. Using these items as a group helps to align a particular program assessment with research-demonstrated outcomes. Optional items may be used to probe particular features that are augment the research experience (e.g. field trips, career seminars, housing arrangements). The URSSA items are based on extensive, interview-based research and evaluation work on undergraduate research by our group and others. This grounding in research means that URSSA measures what we know to be important about the UR experience The items were tested with students, revised and re-tested. Data from a large pilot sample of over 500 students enabled statistical testing of the items' validity and reliability. Optional items about UR program elements were developed in consultation with UR program developers and leaders. The resulting instrument is flexible. Users begin with a set of core items, then customize their survey with optional items to probe students' experiences of specific program elements. The online instrument is free and easy to use, with numeric results available as raw data, summary statistics, cross-tabs, and

  17. Physics in ;Real Life;: Accelerator-based Research with Undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klay, J. L.

    All undergraduates in physics and astronomy should have access to significant research experiences. When given the opportunity to tackle challenging open-ended problems outside the classroom, students build their problem-solving skills in ways that better prepare them for the workplace or future research in graduate school. Accelerator-based research on fundamental nuclear and particle physics can provide a myriad of opportunities for undergraduate involvement in hardware and software development as well as ;big data; analysis. The collaborative nature of large experiments exposes students to scientists of every culture and helps them begin to build their professional network even before they graduate. This paper presents an overview of my experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly - engaging undergraduates in particle and nuclear physics research at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center.

  18. The Undergraduate ALFALFA Team: A Model for Involving Undergraduates in Major Legacy Astronomy Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troischt, Parker; Koopmann, Rebecca A.; Haynes, Martha P.; Higdon, Sarah; Balonek, Thomas J.; Cannon, John M.; Coble, Kimberly A.; Craig, David; Durbala, Adriana; Finn, Rose; Hoffman, G. Lyle; Kornreich, David A.; Lebron, Mayra E.; Crone-Odekon, Mary; O'Donoghue, Aileen A.; Olowin, Ronald Paul; Pantoja, Carmen; Rosenberg, Jessica L.; Venkatesan, Aparna; Wilcots, Eric M.; Alfalfa Team

    2015-01-01

    The NSF-sponsored Undergraduate ALFALFA (Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA) Team (UAT) is a consortium of 19 institutions founded to promote undergraduate research and faculty development within the extragalactic ALFALFA HI blind survey project and follow-up programs. The collaborative nature of the UAT allows faculty and students from a wide ​range of public and private colleges and especially those with small astronomy programs to develop scholarly collaborations. Components of the program include an annual undergraduate workshop at Arecibo Observatory, observing runs at Arecibo, computer infrastructure, summer and academic year research projects, and dissemination at national meetings (e.g., Alfvin et al., Martens et al., Sanders et al., this meeting). Through this model, faculty and students are learning how science is accomplished in a large collaboration while contributing to the scientific goals of a major legacy survey. In the 7 years of the program, 23 faculty and more than 220 undergraduate students have participated at a significant level. 40% of them have been women and members of underrepresented groups. Faculty, many of whom were new to the collaboration and had expertise in other fields, contribute their diverse sets of skills to ALFALFA ​related projects via observing, data reduction, collaborative research, and research with students. 142 undergraduate students have attended the annual workshops at Arecibo Observatory, interacting with faculty, graduate students, their peers, and Arecibo staff in lectures, group activities, tours, and observing runs. Team faculty have supervised 131 summer research projects and 94 academic year (e.g., senior thesis) projects. 62 students have traveled to Arecibo Observatory for observing runs and 46 have presented their results at national meetings. 93% of alumni are attending graduate school and/or pursuing a career in STEM. Half of those pursuing graduate degrees in Physics or Astronomy are women. This work has been

  19. Nigerian Journal of Soil and Environmental Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Nigerian Journal of Soil and Environmental Research (previously named Nigerian Journal of Soil Research) is an annual publication of the Department of Soil science, Faculty of Agriculture/Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaira. The journal accepts articles in English. The journal is ...

  20. Nigerian Journal of Chemical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Nigerian Journal of Chemical Research is now abstracted by Chemical Abstract Service (CAS). The journal's target is to communicate annually results of researchers in the broad areas of Chemistry, namely Analyitcal; Inorganic; Organic; Physical and other subdivisions of Chemistry.

  1. Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research is a publication of the Surgical Research Society with main office in Zaria, Nigeria. Zaria is home to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), a premier university in Nigeria. The aim of The Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research is to cover developments and advances in the broad field of ...

  2. Coping self-efficacy of Chinese nursing undergraduates with their research projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wei; Li, Kun; Zhang, XiuMin; Chen, Li

    2016-10-01

    Undergraduate nursing education includes both professional knowledge and research skills. With regard to training nursing professionals for future healthcare settings, the ability to conduct research is fundamental for nurses after they graduate from universities. However, how nursing students develop coping self-efficacy and scientific skills as a specific ability during their professional study has received little attention. We studied nursing undergraduates' scientific research ability and its associated factors in the Chinese context and evaluated their self-efficacy for coping with research tasks. A total of 134 nursing undergraduates participated in the study. A purposely designed 22-item questionnaire was used to quantify students' research ability in implementing their research projects and the associated factors. Coping self-efficacy was measured with a modified Chinese version. The mean total self-efficacy score was 50.78±6.604 (M±SD). The majority (63.4%) of the students' coping self-efficacy was at a moderate level. Having "the ability to write a manuscript before conducting research projects" (P=0.006) and "topics determined by instructors after discussion with group members" (P=0.005) were the two predictive factors of good coping self-efficacy in students. Nursing undergraduates' self-efficacy was high enough to cope with their scientific research projects, but the information on procedures needed for project application was not abundant, and new training programs might be needed to meet the needs of nursing undergraduates. We should make full use of the predictors of good coping self-efficacy and promote nursing undergraduates' research ability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Ethiopian Journal of Development Research: Advanced Search

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... Ethiopian Journal of Development Research: Advanced Search ... containing either term; e.g., education OR research; Use parentheses to create more complex queries; ... Ethiopian Journal of Business and Economics (The), Ethiopian Journal of Development Research ...

  4. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    It seeks particularly (but not exclusively) to encourage multidisciplinary research and collaboration ... Submission of Manuscript: The International Journal of Health Research uses a journal management software to allow authors ... access to medicine, infrastructural decay, quality of health professional, poor adherence to ...

  5. Nigerian Journal of Chemical Research: Advanced Search

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... Nigerian Journal of Chemical Research: Advanced Search ... containing either term; e.g., education OR research; Use parentheses to create more complex queries; e.g., .... and Applied Sciences, Nigerian Journal of Biotechnology, Nigerian Journal of Chemical Research ...

  6. The Role of High School Research Experiences in Shaping Students' Research Self-Efficacy and Preparation for Undergraduate Research Participation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swan, Amy K.; Inkelas, Karen Kurotsuchi; Jones, Jill N.; Pretlow, Joshua; Keller, Tierney F.

    2018-01-01

    The effects of undergraduate research participation are well documented, but less is known about students' pathways into undergraduate research participation. This mixed-methods study explored the role of an International Baccalaureate research project in students' development of research self-efficacy in high school, and how this development…

  7. A Social Capital Perspective on the Mentoring of Undergraduate Life Science Researchers: An Empirical Study of Undergraduate-Postgraduate-Faculty Triads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aikens, Melissa L.; Sadselia, Sona; Watkins, Keiana; Evans, Mara; Eby, Lillian T.; Dolan, Erin L.

    2016-01-01

    Undergraduate researchers at research universities are often mentored by graduate students or postdoctoral researchers (referred to collectively as "postgraduates") and faculty, creating a mentoring triad structure. Triads differ based on whether the undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty member interact with one another about the…

  8. Undergraduate Science Coursework: Teachers' Goal Statements and How Students Experience Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Rijst, Roeland M.; Visser-Wijnveen, Gerda J.; Verloop, Nico; Van Driel, Jan H.

    2013-01-01

    Understanding the relation between teachers' goal statements and students' experiences about the position of research in undergraduate coursework can give use insight into ways to integrate research and teaching and foster undergraduate research. In this study, we examined to what extent teachers' goal statements agreed with students' experiences…

  9. Developing Research Skills across the Undergraduate Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Simon; Coates, Lee; Fraser, Ann; Pierce, Pam

    2015-01-01

    This chapter describes consortial efforts within the Great Lakes Colleges Association to share expertise and programming to build research skills throughout the undergraduate curriculum. Strategies to scaffold research skill development are provided from Allegheny College, Kalamazoo College, and The College of Wooster.

  10. Nigerian Journal of Technological Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Nigerian Journal of Technological Research is a pure scientific journal with a philosophy of attempting to provide information on problem solving technology to its immediate environs and the international community. The scope of the journal is in the core areas of: Pure and Applied Sciences; Engineering Sciences; ...

  11. An Undergraduate Research Experience on Studying Variable Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amaral, A.; Percy, J. R.

    2016-06-01

    We describe and evaluate a summer undergraduate research project and experience by one of us (AA), under the supervision of the other (JP). The aim of the project was to sample current approaches to analyzing variable star data, and topics related to the study of Mira variable stars and their astrophysical importance. This project was done through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) in astronomy at the University of Toronto. SURP allowed undergraduate students to explore and learn about many topics within astronomy and astrophysics, from instrumentation to cosmology. SURP introduced students to key skills which are essential for students hoping to pursue graduate studies in any scientific field. Variable stars proved to be an excellent topic for a research project. For beginners to independent research, it introduces key concepts in research such as critical thinking and problem solving, while illuminating previously learned topics in stellar physics. The focus of this summer project was to compare observations with structural and evolutionary models, including modelling the random walk behavior exhibited in the (O-C) diagrams of most Mira stars. We found that the random walk could be modelled by using random fluctuations of the period. This explanation agreed well with observations.

  12. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 1, No 1 (2012) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  13. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 1, No 2 (2012) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  14. Undergraduate Research Program Between SCU and SOFIA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulas, Kristin Rose; Andersson, B.-G.

    2018-06-01

    We present results on an undergraduate research program run in collaboration between Santa Clara University (SCU), a predominately undergraduate liberal arts college and the SOFIA Science Center/USRA. We have started a synergistic program between SCU and SOFIA (located at NASA Ames) where the students are able to be fully immersed in astronomical research; from helping to write telescope observing proposal; to observing at a world-class telescope; to reducing and analyzing the data that they acquired and ultimately to presenting/publishing their findings. A recently awarded NSF collaborative grant will allow us to execute and expand this program over the next several years. In this poster we present some of our students research and their success after the program. In addition, we discuss how a small university can actively collaborate with a large government-funded program like SOFIA, funded by NASA.

  15. African Research Review: About this journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and Conditions of Use · Contact AJOL · News. OTHER RESOURCES... for Researchers · for Journals · for Authors · for Policy Makers · about Open Access · Journal Quality.

  16. Cultivating the scientific research ability of undergraduate students in teaching of genetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Wan-jin; Morigen, Morigen

    2016-11-20

    The classroom is the main venue for undergraduate teaching. It is worth pondering how to cultivate undergraduate's research ability in classroom teaching. Here we introduce the practices and experiences in teaching reform in genetics for training the research quality of undergraduate students from six aspects: (1) constructing the framework for curriculum framework systematicaly, (2) using the teaching content to reflect research progress, (3) explaining knowledge points with research activities, (4) explaining the scientific principles and experiments with PPT animation, (5) improving English reading ability through bilingual teaching, and (6) testing students' analysing ability through examination. These reforms stimulate undergraduate students' enthusiasm for learning, cultivate their ability to find, analyze and solve scientific problems, and improve their English reading and literature reviewing capacity, which lay a foundation for them to enter the field of scientific research.

  17. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    The International Journal of Health Research is an online international journal ... disciplines (including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, biotechnology, cell and ... collaboration among scientists, the industry and the healthcare professionals.

  18. Archives: Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 19 of 19 ... Archives: Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research. Journal Home > Archives: Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  19. An Applied Project-Driven Approach to Undergraduate Research Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karls, Michael A.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper I will outline the process I have developed for conducting applied mathematics research with undergraduates and give some examples of the projects we have worked on. Several of these projects have led to refereed publications that could be used to illustrate topics taught in the undergraduate curriculum.

  20. Undergraduate Research: Three Institutions' Success Stories. Research Corporation Annual Report, 1999.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Research Corp., Tucson, AZ.

    This annual report describes the 1999 activities of Research Corporation, a foundation that supports research programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. It focuses on three primarily undergraduate institutions, two private and one public, that are active producers of published research and students going into the…

  1. Ethiopian Journal of Development Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... The Ethiopian Journal of Development Research (EJDR) is a bi-annual journal devoted to ... It is devoted to the multi-disciplinary study of development problems of Ethiopia in particular ... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's ...

  2. International Journal of Herbs and Pharmacological Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    International Journal of Herbs and Pharmacological Research (IJHPR) [ISSN: 2315-537X; E- ISSN: 2384-6836] is a peer reviewed journal publication of Anthonio Research Center. The Journal is intended to serve as a medium for the publication of research findings in the field of Herbal medication in developing countries ...

  3. Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research is published by the College of Medical Sciences, University of Benin to encourage research into primary health care. The journal will publish original research articles, reviews, editorials, commentaries, case reports and letters to the editor. Articles are welcome in all ...

  4. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    Reference Ranges for Fasting Profiles and Oral Glucose Tolerance Test ... Submission of Manuscript: The International Journal of Health Research uses a journal management software to allow .... medical textbooks [4, 5] and internet. In the.

  5. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal: Site Map

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal: Site Map. Journal Home > About the Journal > Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal: Site Map. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  6. The Value of Collaborative Research before Independent Research in Undergraduate Music Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harney, Kristin

    2017-01-01

    Increasing evidence points to the importance of undergraduate research in teacher education programs. Before undertaking independent research, it is essential that music education students gain exposure to a range of research skills and develop basic research competencies. In this study, I explored the influence of a semester-long collaborative…

  7. Undergraduate Researchers and the Poster Session

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Gail; Green, Raymond

    2007-01-01

    Undergraduates presented original research in classroom poster sessions open to students, faculty, and friends. We assessed the reaction of the students to the experience and their reported change in their interest in presenting at conferences. Students enjoyed the poster session experience and indicated they preferred this method over other…

  8. Research Experience for Undergraduates: Understanding the Arctic as a System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexeev, V. A.; Walsh, J. E.; Arp, C. D.; Hock, R.; Euskirchen, E. S.; Kaden, U.; Polyakov, I.; Romanovsky, V. E.; Trainor, S.

    2017-12-01

    Today, more than ever, an integrated cross-disciplinary approach is necessary to understand and explain changes in the Arctic and the implications of those changes. Responding to needs in innovative research and education for understanding high-latitude rapid climate change, scientists at the International Arctic research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) established a new REU (=Research Experience for Undergraduates) NSF-funded site, aiming to attract more undergraduates to arctic sciences. The science focus of this program, building upon the research strengths of UAF, is on understanding the Arctic as a system with emphasis on its physical component. The goals, which were to disseminate new knowledge at the frontiers of polar science and to ignite the enthusiasm of the undergraduates about the Arctic, are pursued by involving undergraduate students in research and educational projects with their mentors using the available diverse on-campus capabilities. IARC hosted the first group of eight students this past summer, focusing on a variety of different disciplines of the Arctic System Science. Students visited research sites around Fairbanks and in remote parts of Alaska (Toolik Lake Field Station, Gulkana glacier, Bonanza Creek, Poker Flats, the CRREL Permafrost Tunnel and others) to see and experience first-hand how the arctic science is done. Each student worked on a research project guided by an experienced instructor. The summer program culminated with a workshop that consisted of reports from the students about their experiences and the results of their projects.

  9. Research articles as a didatic tool in undergraduate chemistry teaching

    OpenAIRE

    Massi, Luciana; Santos, Gelson Ribeiro dos; Ferreira, Jerino Queiroz; Queiroz, Salete Linhares

    2009-01-01

    Chemistry teachers increasingly use research articles in their undergraduate courses. This trend arises from current pedagogical emphasis on active learning and scientific process. In this paper, we describe some educational experiences on the use of research articles in chemistry higher education. Additionally, we present our own conclusions on the use of such methodology applied to a scientific communication course offered to undergraduate chemistry students at the University of São Paulo, ...

  10. STEERing an IDeA in Undergraduate Research at a Rural Research Intensive University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donald A. Sens

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This study documents outcomes, including student career choices, of the North Dakota Institutional Development Award Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence program that provides 10-week, summer undergraduate research experiences at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Program evaluation initiated in 2008 and, to date, 335 students have completed the program. Of the 335, 214 students have successfully completed their bachelor’s degree, 102 are still undergraduates, and 19 either did not complete a bachelor’s degree or were lost to follow-up. The program was able to track 200 of the 214 students for education and career choices following graduation. Of these 200, 76% continued in postgraduate health-related education; 34.0% and 20.5% are enrolled in or have completed MD or PhD programs, respectively. Other postbaccalaureate pursuits included careers in pharmacy, optometry, dentistry, public health, physical therapy, nurse practitioner, and physician’s assistant, accounting for an additional 21.5%. Most students electing to stop formal education at the bachelor’s degree also entered fields related to health care or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (19.5%, with only a small number of the 200 students tracked going into service or industries which lacked an association with the health-care workforce (4.5%. These student outcomes support the concept that participation in summer undergraduate research boosts efforts to populate the pipeline of future researchers and health professionals. It is also an indication that future researchers and health professionals will be able to communicate the value of research in their professional and social associations. The report also discusses best practices and issues in summer undergraduate research for students originating from rural environments.

  11. Highland Medical Research Journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The aim of the Highland Medical Research Journal is to publish scientific research in various fields of medical science and to communicate such research findings to the larger world community. It aims to promote cooperation and understanding amoungst workers in various fields of medical science.

  12. A Tiered Mentoring Model of Exposing and Engaging Students with Research Throughout the Undergraduate Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerard, J.; Hayes, S. M.

    2015-12-01

    Incorporating research into undergraduate curricula has been linked to improved critical thinking, intellectual independence, and student retention, resulting in a graduating population more ready for the workforce or graduate school. We have designed a three-tier model of undergraduate chemistry courses that enable first-year students with no previous research experience to gain the skills needed to develop, fund and execute independent research projects by the close of their undergraduate studies. First-year students are provided with context through a broadly focused introductory class that exposes them to current faculty research activities, and also gives them direct experience with the research process through peer mentored research teams as they participate in faculty-directed projects. Mid-career undergraduate students receive exposure and support in two formats: illustrative examples from current faculty research are incorporated into lessons in core classes, and courses specially designed to foster research independence. This is done by providing content and process mentoring as students develop independent projects, write proposals, and build relationships with faculty and graduate students in research groups. Advanced undergraduates further develop their research independence performing student-designed projects with faculty collaboration that frequently result in tangible research products. Further, graduate students gain experience in mentoring though formal training, as well as through actively mentoring mid-career undergraduates. This novel, integrated approach enables faculty to directly incorporate their research into all levels of the undergraduate curriculum while fostering undergraduates in developing and executing independent projects and empowering mentoring relationships.

  13. Women in STEM: The Effect of Undergraduate Research on Persistence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilker, Jodi

    The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers constitutes a major issue in postsecondary science education. Perseverance of women in STEM is linked to a strong science identity. Experiential learning activities, such as undergraduate research, increase science identity and thus should help keep women in STEM. Most studies on research program development are from 4-year institutions, yet many women start at community colleges. The goal of this study was to fill this gap. Science identity and experiential learning theories provided the framework for this case study at a local institution (LECC). Semistructured interviews determined college science faculty and administrators perceptions of advantages and disadvantages of undergraduate research, the viability of developing a research program, and specific research options feasible for LECC. Transcripted data were analyzed through multiple rounds of coding yielding five themes: faculty perception of undergraduate research, authentic experiences, health technologies/nursing programs, LECC students career focus, and the unique culture at LECC. The most viable type of undergraduate research for LECC is course-based and of short timeframe. The project study advocates the use of citizen science (CS) studies in the classroom as they are relatively short-term and can take the place of lab sessions. The true benefit is that students perform authentic science by contributing to an actual scientific research project. CS projects can effect social change by developing science literate citizens, empowering faculty to create authentic learning experiences, and by sparking interest in science and directing women into STEM careers.

  14. Independent Study: The Culture of Mentored Undergraduate Research at The College of Wooster (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollock, M.; Judge, S.; Wiles, G. C.; Wilson, M. A.

    2013-12-01

    The foundation of a Wooster education is the Independent Study (I.S.) program. Established in 1947, the I.S. program is widely recognized as an exemplary undergraduate research experience (AAC&U; US News and World Report; College that Change Lives by Loren Pope). I.S. requires every Wooster student to complete an original research project. This presentation describes the details of the Wooster I.S. and, based on our experiences, gives strategies for a successful mentored undergraduate research program. Overall, the I.S. process resembles a graduate research project. Students typically begin their work in the spring of their junior year when they review the literature, learn techniques, and write a proposal for their Senior I.S. research. Many students conduct field and lab work over the following summer, although this is not a requirement of the program. In their senior year, students work one-on-one with faculty members and sometimes in small (~4 person) research groups to drive their projects forward with an increasing sense of independence. I.S. culminates in a written thesis and oral defense. Most of our students present their work at national meetings and many projects are published in peer-reviewed journals. The success of the I.S. program is largely the result of two key components: (1) the integration of undergraduate research into the curriculum, and (2) the focus on student mentoring. We have thoughtfully structured our courses so that, as students move toward I.S., they progress from concrete to abstract concepts, and from simple to complex skills. The College also recognizes the value of I.S by assigning it credit; Students earn a full course credit for each semester of I.S. (3 courses total) and there is some credit in the faculty teaching load for I.S. advising. Advisors are really mentors who are invested in their students' academic and scholarly success. As mentors, we emphasize collaboration, provide guidance and support, and hold students

  15. Linguistic analysis of project ownership for undergraduate research experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanauer, D I; Frederick, J; Fotinakes, B; Strobel, S A

    2012-01-01

    We used computational linguistic and content analyses to explore the concept of project ownership for undergraduate research. We used linguistic analysis of student interview data to develop a quantitative methodology for assessing project ownership and applied this method to measure degrees of project ownership expressed by students in relation to different types of educational research experiences. The results of the study suggest that the design of a research experience significantly influences the degree of project ownership expressed by students when they describe those experiences. The analysis identified both positive and negative aspects of project ownership and provided a working definition for how a student experiences his or her research opportunity. These elements suggest several features that could be incorporated into an undergraduate research experience to foster a student's sense of project ownership.

  16. Ideas and Approaches for Teaching Undergraduate Research Methods in the Health Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peachey, Andrew A.; Baller, Stephanie L.

    2015-01-01

    Training in research methodology is becoming more commonly expected within undergraduate curricula designed to prepare students for entry into graduate allied health programs. Little information is currently available about pedagogical strategies to promote undergraduate students' learning of research methods, and less yet is available discussing…

  17. Role of online journals and peer-reviewed research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robert L. Deal

    2014-01-01

    The recent explosion of online journals has lead some researchers, scientist and academics to reconsider their traditional venues for publishing research. These on-line journals have the potential for quickly disseminating research, but they also present lots of uncertainty, confusion, and pitfalls for researchers. Many academics search out journals with the high...

  18. Undergraduates' Experience of Preparedness for Engaging with Sensitive Research Topics Using Qualitative Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Kerri L.; Wilson-Smith, Kevin

    2017-01-01

    This research explored the experience of five undergraduates who engaged with qualitative research as part of their final dissertation project. There have been concerns raised over the emotional safety of researchers carrying out qualitative research, which increases when researchers are inexperienced making this a poignant issues for lectures…

  19. 2012 Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castelaz, Michael W.; Cline, J. D.; Whitworth, C.; Clavier, D.; Owen, L.

    2013-01-01

    Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) offers research experiences for undergraduates (REU). PARI receives support for the internships from the NC Space Grant Consortium, NSF awards, private donations, and industry partner funding. The PARI REU program began in 2001 with 4 students and has averaged 6 students per year over the past 11 years. This year PARI hosted 8 funded REU students. Mentors for the interns include PARI’s Science, Education, and Information Technology staff and visiting faculty who are members of the PARI Research Faculty Affiliate program. Students work with mentors on radio and optical astronomy research, electrical engineering for robotic control of instruments, software development for instrument control and software for citizen science projects, and science education by developing curricula and multimedia and teaching high school students in summer programs at PARI. At the end of the summer interns write a paper about their research which is published in the annually published PARI Summer Student Proceedings. Several of the students have presented their results at AAS Meetings. We will present a summary of specific research conducted by the students with their mentors and the logistics for hosting the PARI undergraduate internship program.

  20. Entering research: A course that creates community and structure for beginning undergraduate researchers in the STEM disciplines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balster, Nicholas; Pfund, Christine; Rediske, Raelyn; Branchaw, Janet

    2010-01-01

    Undergraduate research experiences have been shown to enhance the educational experience and retention of college students, especially those from underrepresented populations. However, many challenges still exist relative to building community among students navigating large institutions. We developed a novel course called Entering Research that creates a learning community to support beginning undergraduate researchers and is designed to parallel the Entering Mentoring course for graduate students, postdocs, and faculty serving as mentors of undergraduate researchers. The course serves as a model that can be easily adapted for use across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines using a readily available facilitator's manual. Course evaluations and rigorous assessment show that the Entering Research course helps students in many ways, including finding a mentor, understanding their place in a research community, and connecting their research to their course work in the biological and physical sciences. Students in the course reported statistically significant gains in their skills, knowledge, and confidence as researchers compared with a control group of students, who also were engaged in undergraduate research but not enrolled in this course. In addition, the faculty and staff members who served as facilitators of the Entering Research course described their experience as rewarding and one they would recommend to their colleagues.

  1. The Polaris Project: Undergraduate Research Catalyzing Advances in Arctic Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schade, J. D.; Holmes, R. M.; Natali, S.; Mann, P. J.; Bunn, A. G.; Frey, K. E.

    2017-12-01

    With guidance and sufficient resources, undergraduates can drive the exploration of new research directions, lead high impact scientific products, and effectively communicate the value of science to the public. As mentors, we must recognize the strong contribution undergraduates make to the advancement of scientific understanding and their unique ability and desire to be transdisciplinary and to translate ideas into action. Our job is to be sure students have the resources and tools to successfully explore questions that they care about, not to provide or lead them towards answers we already have. The central goal of the Polaris Project is to advance understanding of climate change in the Arctic through an integrated research, training, and outreach program that has at its heart a research expedition for undergraduates to a remote field station in the Arctic. Our integrative approach to training provides undergraduates with strong intellectual development and they bring fresh perspectives, creativity, and a unique willingness to take risks on new ideas that have an energizing effect on research and outreach. Since the projects inception in summer 2008, we have had >90 undergraduates participate in high-impact field expeditions and outreach activities. Over the years, we have also been fortunate enough to attract an ethnically, racially, and culturally diverse group of students, including students from Puerto Rico, Hispanic-, African- and Native-Americans, members of the LGBT community, and first-generation college students. Most of these students have since pursued graduate degrees in ecology, and many have received NSF fellowships and Fulbright scholarships. One of our major goals is to increase the diversity of the scientific community, and we have been successful in our short-term goal of recruiting and retaining a diverse group of students. The goal of this presentation is to provide a description of the mentoring model at the heart of the Polaris Project

  2. Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Environmental studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McMillan, J. [ed.

    1994-12-31

    The purpose of the summer undergraduate internship program for research in environmental studies is to provide an opportunity for well-qualified students to undertake an original research project as an apprentice to an active research scientist in basic environmental research. The students are offered research topics at the Medical University in the scientific areas of pharmacology and toxicology, epidemiology and risk assessment, environmental microbiology, and marine sciences. Students are also afforded the opportunity to work with faculty at the University of Charleston, SC, on projects with an environmental theme. Ten well-qualified students from colleges and universities throughout the eastern United States were accepted into the program.

  3. Incorporating Inquiry into Upper-Level Undergraduate Homework Assignments: The Mini-Journal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whittington, Alan; Speck, Angela; Witzig, Stephen; Abell, Sandra

    2010-05-01

    The US National Science Education Standards (2000) state that science should be taught through inquiry. The five essential features of classroom inquiry are that the leaner (i) engages in scientifically oriented questions, (ii) gives priority to evidence in responding to questions, (iii) formulates explanations from evidence, (iv) connects explanations to scientific knowledge, and (v) communicates and justifies explanations. One difficulty in achieving this vision at the university level lies in the common perception that inquiry be fully open and unstructured, and that its implementation will be impractical due to time and material constraints. In an NSF-funded project, "CUES: Connecting Undergraduates to the Enterprise of Science," faculty developed new inquiry-based laboratory curriculum materials using a "mini-journal" approach, which is designed as an alternative to the cookbook laboratory and represents the way that scientists do science. Here we adapt this approach to a homework assignment in an upper-level Planetary Science class, and show that inquiry is achievable in this setting. Traditional homeworks in this class consisted of problem sets requiring algebraic manipulation, computation, and in most cases an appraisal of the result Longer questions are broken down into chunks worth 1 to 4 points. In contrast, the mini-journal is a short article that is modeled in the way that scientists do and report science. It includes a title, abstract, introduction (with clear statement of the problem to be tackled), a description of the methods, results (presented as both tables and graphs), a discussion (with suggestions for future work) and a list of cited work. Students devise their research questions and hypothesis from the paper based on a logical next step in the investigation. Guiding questions in the discussion can assist the students ("it would be interesting to evaluate the effect of ..."). Students submit their own minijournal, using the same journal

  4. Strategies for involving undergraduates in mentored research (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marin-Spiotta, E.

    2013-12-01

    Early engagement in research can transform the undergraduate experience and has a positive effect on minority student recruitment to graduate school. Multiple strategies used to involve undergraduates in research at a large R1 university are presented. During my first four years as an assistant professor, my lab has hosted 14 undergraduates, 9 of them women and 4 of them Hispanic. Institutional support has been critical for undergraduate student involvement. UW supports a research program for incoming underrepresented students. An advantage of this program is very early research participation, with the opportunity for long-term training. One disadvantage is that many first year students have not yet identified their interests. The Biology major also requires students to complete an independent project, which culminates in a research symposium. Competitive research fellowships and grants are available for students to conduct work under faculty mentorship. We have been successful at keeping students on even when their majors are very different from our research discipline, mainly by providing flexibility and a welcoming lab environment. This mentoring culture is strongly fostered by graduate student interest and involvement with all undergraduates as well as active mentor training. By offering multiple pathways for involvement, we can accommodate students' changing schedules and priorities as well as changing lab needs. Students can volunteer, receive course credit, conduct an independent project or honors thesis, contribute to an existing project, do lab work or write a literature review, work with one mentor or on multiple projects. We often provide employment over the summer and subsequent semesters for continuing students. Some will increase their commitment over time and work more closely with me. Others reduce down to a few hours a week as they gain experience elsewhere. Most students stay multiple semesters and multiple years because they 'enjoy being in the

  5. Editorial | Mabuza | African Journal of AIDS Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal of AIDS Research. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 16, No 4 (2017) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  6. Editorial | Whiteside | African Journal of AIDS Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal of AIDS Research. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 12, No 2 (2013) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  7. Editorial | Aboagye | African Journal of Management Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal of Management Research. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 21, No 1 (2013) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  8. Interdisciplinary Biomathematics: Engaging Undergraduates in Research on the Fringe of Mathematical Biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fowler, Kathleen; Luttman, Aaron; Mondal, Sumona

    2013-01-01

    The US National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Undergraduate Biology and Mathematics (UBM) program significantly increased undergraduate research in the biomathematical sciences. We discuss three UBM-funded student research projects at Clarkson University that lie at the intersection of not just mathematics and biology, but also other fields. The…

  9. The Transformative Impact of Undergraduate Research Mentoring on Students and the Role of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) in Supporting Faculty Mentors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, L. K.; Singer, J.

    2015-12-01

    Undergraduate Research (UR) is broadly accepted as a high impact educational practice. Student participation in UR contributes to measurable gains in content knowledge and skills/methodology, oral and written communication skills, problem solving and critical thinking, self-confidence, autonomy, among others. First-generation college students and students from underrepresented minorities that participate in UR are more likely to remain in STEM majors, persist to graduation, and pursue graduate degrees. While engagement in the research process contributes to these outcomes, the impact of the interaction with the faculty mentor is critical. A number of studies provide evidence that it is the relationship that forms with the faculty mentor that is most valued by students and strongly contributes to their career development. Faculty mentors play an important role in student development and the relationship between mentor and student evolves from teacher to coach to colleague. Effective mentoring is not an inherent skill and is generally not taught in graduate school and generally differs from mentoring of graduate students. Each UR mentoring relationship is unique and there are many effective mentoring models and practices documented in the literature. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) has a long history of supporting faculty who engage in research with undergraduates and offers resources for establishing UR programs at individual, departmental, and institutional levels. The Geosciences Division of CUR leads faculty development workshops at professional meetings and provides extensive resources to support geosciences faculty as UR mentors (http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/undergraduate_research/index.html). Examples of effective mentoring strategies are highlighted, including a model developed by SUNY- Buffalo State that integrates mentoring directly into the evaluation of UR.

  10. Culturally Diverse Undergraduate Researchers' Academic Outcomes and Perceptions of Their Research Mentoring Relationships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byars-Winston, Angela M.; Branchaw, Janet; Pfund, Christine; Leverett, Patrice; Newton, Joseph

    2015-10-01

    Few studies have empirically investigated the specific factors in mentoring relationships between undergraduate researchers (mentees) and their mentors in the biological and life sciences that account for mentees' positive academic and career outcomes. Using archival evaluation data from more than 400 mentees gathered over a multi-year period (2005-2011) from several undergraduate biology research programs at a large, Midwestern research university, we validated existing evaluation measures of the mentored research experience and the mentor-mentee relationship. We used a subset of data from mentees (77% underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities) to test a hypothesized social cognitive career theory model of associations between mentees' academic outcomes and perceptions of their research mentoring relationships. Results from path analysis indicate that perceived mentor effectiveness indirectly predicted post-baccalaureate outcomes via research self-efficacy beliefs. Findings are discussed with implications for developing new and refining existing tools to measure this impact, programmatic interventions to increase the success of culturally diverse research mentees and future directions for research.

  11. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    The International Journal of Health Research is an online international journal allowing ... forum for the communication and evaluation of data, methods and findings in health sciences and related ... Conclusion: Permeation rate of drugs across the ..... New Delhi, McGraw Hill Medical Publishing ... Human skin permeation of.

  12. Archives: Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 24 of 24 ... Archives: Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR). Journal Home > Archives: Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR). Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  13. Student and Faculty Outcomes of Undergraduate Science Research Projects by Geographically Dispersed Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Lawton; Kennepohl, Dietmar

    2013-01-01

    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…

  14. Engaging Undergraduates in Social Science Research: The Taking the Pulse of Saskatchewan Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berdahl, Loleen

    2014-01-01

    Although student involvement in research and inquiry can advance undergraduate learning, there are limited opportunities for undergraduate students to be directly involved in social science research. Social science faculty members typically work outside of laboratory settings, with the limited research assistance work being completed by graduate…

  15. African Journal of Biomedical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The African Journal of biomedical Research was founded in 1998 as a joint project ... of the journal led to the formation of a group (Biomedical Communications Group, ... analysis of multidrug resistant aerobic gram-negative clinical isolates from a ... Dental formula and dental abnormalities observed in the Eidolon helvum ...

  16. African Journal of Management Research: Editorial Policies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Topics and themes appropriate for African Journal of Management Research will ... African Journal of Management Research maintains a 2-3 month turnaround time from submission to decision. ... Emeritus Professor, Goldsmiths College, UK.

  17. Students' Perceptions of Journaling in Undergraduate Classes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritson, Krista K.; Nelson, Destinee A.; Vontz, Hannah; Forrest, Krista D.

    2013-01-01

    Students' perceptions of journaling are examined with the hypothesis that students perceive reflective journaling as a beneficial tool that aids in their overall success in their courses. Students completed seven, one-page journals throughout the semester. A content analysis of the final journal reveals that students enjoy the process of…

  18. Preparation and participation of undergraduate students to inform culturally sensitive research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Jo Nell; Cagle, Carolyn Spence

    2009-07-01

    Most student work as research assistants occurs at the graduate level of nursing education, and little is known about the role of undergraduate students as research assistants (RAs) in major research projects. Based on our desire to study Mexican American (MA) cancer caregivers, we needed bilingual and bicultural RAs to serve as data collectors with women who spoke Spanish and possessed cultural beliefs that influenced their caregiving. Following successful recruitment, orientation, and mentoring based on Bandura's social learning theory [Bandura, A., 2001. Social learning theory: an agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology 52, 1-26] and accepted teaching-learning principles, RAs engaged in various behaviors that facilitated study outcomes. Faculty researchers, RAs, and study participants benefitted greatly from the undergraduate student involvement in this project. This article describes successful student inclusion approaches, ongoing faculty-RA interactions, and lessons learned from the research team experience. Guidelines discussed support the potential for making the undergraduate RA role a useful and unique learning experience.

  19. Collaborative Approaches to Undergraduate Research Training: Information Literacy and Data Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hailey Mooney

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The undergraduate research experience (URE provides an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful work with faculty mentors on research projects. An increasingly important component of scholarly research is the application of research data management best practices, yet this often falls out of the scope of URE programs. This article presents a case study of faculty and librarian collaboration in the integration of a library and research data management curriculum into a social work URE research team. Discussion includes reflections on the content and learning outcomes, benefits of a holistic approach to introducing undergraduate students to research practice, and challenges of scale.

  20. Enhancing Scientific Communication Through an Undergraduate Biology and Journalism Partnership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwingel, Johanna M

    2018-01-01

    Scientific terminology presents an obstacle to effective communication with nonscientific audiences. To overcome this obstacle, biology majors in a general microbiology elective completed a project involving two different audiences: a scientific audience of their peers and a general, nonscientific audience. First, students presented an overview of a primary research paper and the significance of its findings to a general, nonscientific audience in an elevator-type talk. This was followed by a peer interview with a student in a journalism course, in which the biology students needed to comprehend the article to effectively communicate it to the journalism students, and the journalism students needed to ask questions about an unfamiliar, technical topic. Next, the biology students wrote a summary of their article for a scientific audience. Finally, the students presented a figure from the article to their peers in a scientific, Bio-Minute format. The biology-journalism partnership allowed biology students to develop their ability to communicate scientific information and journalism students their ability to ask appropriate questions and establish a base of knowledge from which to write.

  1. International Journal of Health Research: Submissions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    International Journal of Health Research: Submissions ... The journal is devoted to the promotion of pharmaceutical sciences and related disciplines ... adverse drug events, medical and other life sciences, and related engineering fields).

  2. Undergraduate Student Teachers' Views and Experiences of a Compulsory Course in Research Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lombard, B. J. J.

    2015-01-01

    In comparison to attention given to research methods for education students at postgraduate level, the offering of research methods for education students at undergraduate level is less often considered. Yet, it is agreed that research methods for undergraduate level students is important for shaping student attitudes, learning and achievement in…

  3. Tanzania Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tanzania Journal of Health Research (TJHR) aims to facilitate the advance of health sciences by publishing high quality research and review articles that communicate new ideas and developments in biomedical and health research. TJHR is ...

  4. Engaging Undergraduates through Interdisciplinary Research in Nanotechnology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goonewardene, Anura U.; Offutt, Christine; Whitling, Jacqueline; Woodhouse, Donald

    2012-01-01

    To recruit and retain more students in all science disciplines at our small (5,000 student) public university, we implemented an interdisciplinary strategy focusing on nanotechnology and enhanced undergraduate research. Inherently interdisciplinary, the novelty of nanotechnology and its growing career potential appeal to students. To engage…

  5. A Workbook for Scaffolding Mentored Undergraduate Research Experiences in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colbert-White, Erin; Simpson, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    Research mentors strive to ensure that undergraduates gain research skills and develop professionally during mentored research experiences in the sciences. We created the SURE (Specialized Undergraduate Research Experience) Workbook, a freely-available, interactive guide to scaffold student learning during this process. The Workbook: (1)…

  6. Biomedical Science Undergraduate Major: A New Pathway to Advance Research and the Health Professions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunn, John S; Ledford, Cynthia H; Mousetes, Steven J; Grever, Michael R

    2018-01-01

    undergraduate major and its outcomes after 10 years of implementation. Major outcomes include the strength of the major's matriculates (average ACT score = 32.6; average high school class percentile rank = 95.5) and the high percentage of BMS students who pursued graduate/professional degrees (91%; n = 110). Other markers of success include the strong focus on research, which resulted in 120 articles published by graduates to date (range = 0-12/student; 43% with at least 1 peer-reviewed journal article). Based on its successes, adoption of a similar program at other academic medical centers would help feed the pipeline of well-trained health professionals and biomedical researchers.

  7. Comparative effectiveness research: Challenges for medical journals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tovey David

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Editors from a number of medical journals lay out principles for journals considering publication of Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER. In order to encourage dissemination of this editorial, this article is freely available in PLoS Medicine and will be also published in Medical Decision Making, Croatian Medical Journal, The Cochrane Library, Trials, The American Journal of Managed Care, and Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

  8. Undergraduate courses with an integral research year

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clough, A S; Regan, P H

    2003-01-01

    We present the details of the four year MPhys undergraduate degree provided by the University of Surrey. Integral to this course is a full year spent on a research placement, which in most cases takes place external to the university at a North American or European research centre. This paper outlines the basic rationale underlying the course and, by including a number of research student profiles, we discuss the triple benefits of this course for the students, the University of Surrey and the host institutions where the students spend their research year

  9. Developing Early Undergraduate Research at a Two-Year College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sibbernsen, Kendra

    2013-01-01

    Two-year college (TYC) physics teachers are not often required to provide student research experiences as a part of their contracted duties. However, some TYC physics faculty members are interested in developing research opportunities for their freshman- and sophomore-level students, often called "early undergraduate research" (EUR).…

  10. The Apprentice Researcher: Using Undergraduate Researchers' Personal Essays to Shape Instruction and Services

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnet, Jennifer L.; Cordell, Sigrid Anderson; Cordell, Jeffrey; Duque, Gabriel J.; MacKintosh, Pamela J.; Peters, Amanda

    2013-01-01

    Little is known about the intellectual journey of advanced undergraduates engaged in the research process. Moreover, few studies of this population of library users include students' personal essays as a point of analysis in their scholarly pursuits. To gain insights into the research trajectory of apprentice researchers at the University of…

  11. Global Journal of Educational Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Global Journal of Education Research is aimed at promoting research in all areas of ... curriculum development, educational technology, foundation, administration etc. ... Innovative practices in science education: a panacea for improving ...

  12. Method to Increase Undergraduate Laboratory Student Confidence in Performing Independent Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Colton E. Kempton

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The goal of an undergraduate laboratory course should be not only to introduce the students to biology methodologies and techniques, but also to teach them independent analytical thinking skills and proper experiment design.  This is especially true for advanced biology laboratory courses that undergraduate students typically take as a junior or senior in college.  Many courses achieve the goal of teaching techniques, but fail to approach the larger goal of teaching critical thinking, experimental design, and student independence.  Here we describe a study examining the application of the scaffolding instructional philosophy in which students are taught molecular techniques with decreasing guidance to force the development of analytical thinking skills and prepare undergraduate students for independent laboratory research. This method was applied to our advanced molecular biology laboratory class and resulted in an increase of confidence among the undergraduate students in their abilities to perform independent research.

  13. Undergraduate Students' Development of Social, Cultural, and Human Capital in a Networked Research Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Jennifer Jo; Conaway, Evan; Dolan, Erin L.

    2016-01-01

    Recent calls for reform in undergraduate biology education have emphasized integrating research experiences into the learning experiences of all undergraduates. Contemporary science research increasingly demands collaboration across disciplines and institutions to investigate complex research questions, providing new contexts and models for…

  14. Leading Undergraduate Research Projects in Mathematical Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seshaiyer, Padmanabhan

    2017-01-01

    In this article, we provide some useful perspectives and experiences in mentoring students in undergraduate research (UR) in mathematical modeling using differential equations. To engage students in this topic, we present a systematic approach to the creation of rich problems from real-world phenomena; present mathematical models that are derived…

  15. Binomial Coefficients Modulo a Prime--A Visualization Approach to Undergraduate Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bardzell, Michael; Poimenidou, Eirini

    2011-01-01

    In this article we present, as a case study, results of undergraduate research involving binomial coefficients modulo a prime "p." We will discuss how undergraduates were involved in the project, even with a minimal mathematical background beforehand. There are two main avenues of exploration described to discover these binomial…

  16. Undergraduate Physics Course Innovations and Their Impact on Student Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iverson, Heidi L.; Briggs, Derek C.; Ruiz-Primo, Maria A.; Talbot, Robert M.; Shepard, Lorrie A.

    2009-11-01

    This paper presents results of an NSF project in which the goal is to provide a synthesis of research on instructional innovations that have been implemented in undergraduate courses in physics. The research questions guiding the project are: What constitutes the range of principal course innovations that are being implemented in undergraduate physics courses? What are the effects of these course innovations on student learning? The paper describes: (1) the literature search procedures used to gather over 400 innovation-related journal articles, (2) the procedures followed to analyze the studies within these articles, (3) the characteristics of the studies reported, and (4) the results from synthesizing the quantitative results of those studies that met our criteria for inclusion.

  17. Journalism Degree Motivations: The Development of a Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, Serena; Grant, August E.; Hoag, Anne

    2016-01-01

    Scientific knowledge should reflect valid, consistent measurement. It is argued research on scale development needs to be more systematic and prevalent. The intent of this article is to address scale development by creating and validating a construct that measures the underlying reasons why undergraduate students seek a degree in journalism, the…

  18. SAGE as a Source for Undergraduate Research Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutz, Benjamin

    2017-01-01

    This article examines the use of the computer algebra system SAGE for undergraduate student research projects. After reading this article, the reader should understand the benefits of using SAGE as a source of research projects and how to commence working with SAGE. The author proposes a tiered working group model to allow maximum benefit to the…

  19. The Contribution of Qualitative Research Towards the Issues Affecting Female Undergraduate Engineering Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duggan, Louise Maria

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the use of qualitative research methods towards our understanding of the issues affecting female undergraduate engineers. As outlined in this article female engineering students face many challenges during their undergraduate studies. Qualitative research methods provide an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the…

  20. A Citation Analysis of Western Journals Cited in Taiwan's Library and Information Science and History Research Journals: From a Research Evaluation Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Mu-Hsuan; Lin, Chi-Shiou

    2011-01-01

    This article examines citations of Western journals in eight LIS journals and six history journals published in Taiwan. The findings show that both the Western journals' impact factor values and whether they are included in JCR may not necessarily indicate their real use in Taiwan's LIS and history research--especially in history research.…

  1. Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    MHRL

    Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research. (A publication of the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone). ©Sierra Leone Journal .... was used to. She seemed to have had a change of mind after ingesting.

  2. Educational Technology Research Journals: "Journal of Educational Computing Research," 2003-2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyland, Rob; Anderson, Noelle; Beckstrom, Tyler; Boren, Michael; Thomas, Rebecca; West, Richard E.

    2015-01-01

    This article analyzes articles published in the "Journal of Educational Computing Research" ("JECR") from 2003 to 2012. The authors analyzed the articles looking for trends in article types and methodologies, the most common topics addressed in the articles, the top-cited articles, and the top authors during the period. The…

  3. International Journal of Basic, Applied and Innovative Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    International Journal of Basic, Applied and Innovative Research (IJBAIR) [ISSN: 2315-5388; E-ISSN: 2384 - 681X] is a peer reviewed Journal Publication of Anthonio Research Center and the International Society of Science Researchers (ISSCIR). IJBAIR accepts research articles, review articles, short reports, and ...

  4. Undergraduate Research at Two-Year Community Colleges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuster, Matthew

    2018-01-01

    There is a growing movement in academia that focuses on increased efforts at undergraduate research. Historically, this movement has been driven by faculty in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and has only recently become a focus for social sciences in general and political science in particular. For students to…

  5. The Barrett Foundation: Undergraduate Research Program for Environmental Engineers and Scientists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizzo, D. M.; Paul, M.; Farmer, C.; Larson, P.; Matt, J.; Sentoff, K.; Vazquez-Spickers, I.; Pearce, A. R.

    2007-12-01

    A new program sponsored by The Barrett Foundation in the University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (UVM) supports undergraduate students in Environmental Engineering, Earth and Environmental Sciences to pursue independent summer research projects. The Barrett Foundation, a non-profit organization started by a UVM Engineering alum, provided a grant to support undergraduate research. Students must work with at least two different faculty advisors to develop project ideas, then independently prepare a research proposal and submit it to a faculty panel for review. The program was structured as a scholarship to foster a competitive application process. In the last three years, fourteen students have participated in the program. The 2007 Barrett Scholars projects include: - Using bacteria to change the chemistry of subsurface media to encourage calcite precipitation for soil stability and pollutant sequestration - Assessing structural weaknesses in a historic post and beam barn using accelerometers and wireless data collection equipment - Using image processing filters to 1) evaluate leaf wetness, a leading indicator of disease in crops and 2) assess the movement of contaminants through building materials. - Investigating the impact of increased water temperature on cold-water fish species in two Vermont streams. - Studying the impacts of light duty vehicle tailpipe emissions on air quality This program supports applied and interdisciplinary environmental research and introduces students to real- world engineering problems. In addition, faculty from different research focuses are presented the opportunity to establish new collaborations around campus through the interdisciplinary projects. To date, there is a successful publication record from the projects involving the Barrett scholars, including students as authors. One of the objectives of this program was to provide prestigious, competitive awards to outstanding undergraduate engineers

  6. Introducing Ethics to Chemistry Students in a "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" (REU) Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, Mark J.

    2015-01-01

    A three-day ethics seminar introduced ethics to undergraduate environmental chemistry students in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. The seminar helped students become sensitive to and understand the ethical and values dimensions of their work as researchers. It utilized a variety of resources to supplement lectures and…

  7. The NSF Undergraduate ALFALFA Team: Partnering with Arecibo Observatory to Offer Undergraduate and Faculty Extragalactic Radio Astronomy Research Opportunities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ribaudo, Joseph; Koopmann, Rebecca A.; Haynes, Martha P.; Balonek, Thomas J.; Cannon, John M.; Coble, Kimberly A.; Craig, David W.; Denn, Grant R.; Durbala, Adriana; Finn, Rose; Hallenbeck, Gregory L.; Hoffman, G. Lyle; Lebron, Mayra E.; Miller, Brendan P.; Crone-Odekon, Mary; O'Donoghue, Aileen A.; Olowin, Ronald Paul; Pantoja, Carmen; Pisano, Daniel J.; Rosenberg, Jessica L.; Troischt, Parker; Venkatesan, Aparna; Wilcots, Eric M.; ALFALFA Team

    2017-01-01

    The NSF-sponsored Undergraduate ALFALFA (Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA) Team (UAT) is a consortium of 20 institutions across the US and Puerto Rico, founded to promote undergraduate research and faculty development within the extragalactic ALFALFA HI blind survey project and follow-up programs. The objective of the UAT is to provide opportunities for its members to develop expertise in the technical aspects of observational radio spectroscopy, its associated data analysis, and the motivating science. Partnering with Arecibo Observatory, the UAT has worked with more than 280 undergraduates and 26 faculty to date, offering 8 workshops onsite at Arecibo (148 undergraduates), observing runs at Arecibo (69 undergraduates), remote observing runs on campus, undergraduate research projects based on Arecibo science (120 academic year and 185 summer projects), and presentation of results at national meetings such as the AAS (at AAS229: Ball et al., Collova et al., Davis et al., Miazzo et al., Ruvolo et al, Singer et al., Cannon et al., Craig et al., Koopmann et al., O'Donoghue et al.). 40% of the students and 45% of the faculty participants have been women and members of underrepresented groups. More than 90% of student alumni are attending graduate school and/or pursuing a career in STEM. 42% of those pursuing graduate degrees in Physics or Astronomy are women.In this presentation, we summarize the UAT program and the current research efforts of UAT members based on Arecibo science, including multiwavelength followup observations of ALFALFA sources, the UAT Collaborative Groups Project, the Survey of HI in Extremely Low-mass Dwarfs (SHIELD), and the Arecibo Pisces-Perseus Supercluster Survey (APPSS). This work has been supported by NSF grants AST-0724918/0902211, AST-075267/0903394, AST-0725380, AST-121105, and AST-1637339.

  8. Journals with Borders, Journals without Borders: Under-Representation of Asian Countries in Educational Research Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atkinson, Roger

    2013-01-01

    As "Australasian Journal of Educational Technology" (AJET) Production Editor, the author evaluates whether AJET is providing a fair and adequate representation for researchers in Asian countries, with particular reference to AJET's aspiration to be "a front ranked international journal with an Australasian character" (Atkinson…

  9. Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: About this journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: About this journal. Journal Home > Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: About this journal. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  10. Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR), a biannual journal, is an official publication of Agricultural Volunteers of Nigeria (AgVON). The journal considers articles from the following areas: Agriculture, Home Economics/Food science, forestry, wildlife and fisheries, environment and waste management, economics, ...

  11. Undergraduate students' development of social, cultural, and human capital in a networked research experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Jennifer Jo; Conaway, Evan; Dolan, Erin L.

    2016-12-01

    Recent calls for reform in undergraduate biology education have emphasized integrating research experiences into the learning experiences of all undergraduates. Contemporary science research increasingly demands collaboration across disciplines and institutions to investigate complex research questions, providing new contexts and models for involving undergraduates in research. In this study, we examined the experiences of undergraduates participating in a multi-institution and interdisciplinary biology research network. Unlike the traditional apprenticeship model of research, in which a student participates in research under the guidance of a single faculty member, students participating in networked research have the opportunity to develop relationships with additional faculty and students working in other areas of the project, at their own and at other institutions. We examined how students in this network develop social ties and to what extent a networked research experience affords opportunities for students to develop social, cultural, and human capital. Most studies of undergraduate involvement in science research have focused on documenting student outcomes rather than elucidating how students gain access to research experiences or how elements of research participation lead to desired student outcomes. By taking a qualitative approach framed by capital theories, we have identified ways that undergraduates utilize and further develop various forms of capital important for success in science research. In our study of the first 16 months of a biology research network, we found that undergraduates drew upon a combination of human, cultural, and social capital to gain access to the network. Within their immediate research groups, students built multidimensional social ties with faculty, peers, and others, yielding social capital that can be drawn upon for information, resources, and support. They reported developing cultural capital in the form of learning to

  12. International Journal of Community Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    : 2384 - 6828] is a peer reviewed journal publication of Anthonio Research Center. IJCR publishes research articles, review articles, short reports and commentaries that are community-based or inter and intra-cultural based. IJCR also accepts ...

  13. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation: Advanced Search ... education OR research; Use parentheses to create more complex queries; e.g., archive ((journal OR ... Alexandria Journal of Medicine, Anatomy Journal of Africa, Animal Production Research Advances .... Advanced filters ...

  14. Scientific Visualization Tools for Enhancement of Undergraduate Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, W. J.; Chaudhury, S. R.

    2001-05-01

    Undergraduate research projects that utilize remote sensing satellite instrument data to investigate atmospheric phenomena pose many challenges. A significant challenge is processing large amounts of multi-dimensional data. Remote sensing data initially requires mining; filtering of undesirable spectral, instrumental, or environmental features; and subsequently sorting and reformatting to files for easy and quick access. The data must then be transformed according to the needs of the investigation(s) and displayed for interpretation. These multidimensional datasets require views that can range from two-dimensional plots to multivariable-multidimensional scientific visualizations with animations. Science undergraduate students generally find these data processing tasks daunting. Generally, researchers are required to fully understand the intricacies of the dataset and write computer programs or rely on commercially available software, which may not be trivial to use. In the time that undergraduate researchers have available for their research projects, learning the data formats, programming languages, and/or visualization packages is impractical. When dealing with large multi-dimensional data sets appropriate Scientific Visualization tools are imperative in allowing students to have a meaningful and pleasant research experience, while producing valuable scientific research results. The BEST Lab at Norfolk State University has been creating tools for multivariable-multidimensional analysis of Earth Science data. EzSAGE and SAGE4D have been developed to sort, analyze and visualize SAGE II (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment) data with ease. Three- and four-dimensional visualizations in interactive environments can be produced. EzSAGE provides atmospheric slices in three-dimensions where the researcher can change the scales in the three-dimensions, color tables and degree of smoothing interactively to focus on particular phenomena. SAGE4D provides a navigable

  15. The Influence of Materials Science and Engineering Undergraduate Research Experiences on Public Communication Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ing, Marsha; Fung, Wenson W.; Kisailus, David

    2013-01-01

    Communicating research findings with others is a skill essential to the success of future STEM professionals. However, little is known about how this skill can be nurtured through participating in undergraduate research. The purpose of this study is to quantify undergraduate participation in research in a materials science and engineering…

  16. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research: Editorial Policies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research is an Open Access international ... Although primarily devoted to original research papers, the journal ... know so that we can keep the authors informed and, where necessary, find alternatives. ..... An example of how a search strategy should be presented can be seen in the ...

  17. Fostering Undergraduate Research Experiences in Management Information Systems through the "Research Group" Framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartkus, Ken; Mills, Robert; Olsen, David

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to propose an innovative approach to engaged learning. Founded on the principles of a scholarly think-tank and administered along the lines of a consulting organization, the proposed "Research Group" framework is designed to facilitate effective and efficient undergraduate research experiences in Management…

  18. Journal of Research in National Development

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Journal of Research in National Development aims to encourage interdisciplinary ... Favorite articles are quantitative, empirical and developmentally biased. .... Tax aggressiveness and corporate social responsibility fluidity in Nigerian firms ... By Country · List All Titles · Free To Read Titles This Journal is Open Access.

  19. Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research: Submissions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search · USING ... Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research (SLJBR) publishes papers in all ... An original article should give sufficient detail of experimental procedures for .... For references cited in a paper which has been accepted for publication but not ...

  20. Archives: Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 1 - 18 of 18 ... Archives: Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. Journal Home > Archives: Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  1. Educational Aspects of Undergraduate Research on Smartphone Application Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph Gibson

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Smartphones have become commonplace in today's society. There seems to be a mobile application for every conceivable use, expect one. Smartphones have been conspicuously absent in higher education. This research examines the use of mobile applications (apps in the higher education setting. In addition, it evaluates the potential for including smartphone application development in undergraduate computer science curriculum. This paper will present a variety of smartphone apps that were developed by undergraduate researchers for use for use by students and faculty in a university environment, and apps developed to enhance the educational experience in the classroom. We also study the efficacy of the inclusion of smartphone app development in the computer science curriculum and modes for its inclusion.

  2. Leveraging Online Learning Resources to Teach Core Research Skills to Undergraduates at a Diverse Research University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFARLIN, Brian K; Breslin, Whitney L; Carpenter, Katie C; Strohacker, Kelley; Weintraub, Randi J

    2010-01-01

    Today's students have unique learning needs and lack knowledge of core research skills. In this program report, we describe an online approach that we developed to teach core research skills to freshman and sophomore undergraduates. Specifically, we used two undergraduate kinesiology (KIN) courses designed to target students throughout campus (KIN1304: Public Health Issues in Physical Activity and Obesity) and specifically kinesiology majors (KIN1252: Foundations of Kinesiology). Our program was developed and validated at the 2 nd largest ethnically diverse research university in the United States, thus we believe that it would be effective in a variety of student populations.

  3. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Homepage Image. We seek to encourage pharmaceutical and allied research of tropical and international relevance and to foster multidisciplinary research and collaboration among scientists, the pharmaceutical industry and the healthcare professionals. We publish articles in pharmaceutical sciences and related ...

  4. Student science publishing: an exploratory study of undergraduate science research journals and popular science magazines in the US and Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mico Tatalovic

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Science magazines have an important role in disseminating scientific knowledge into the public sphere and in discussing the broader scope affected by scientific research such as technology, ethics and politics. Student-run science magazines afford opportunities for future scientists, communicators, politicians and others to practice communicating science. The ability to translate ‘scientese’ into a jargon-free discussion is rarely easy: it requires practice, and student magazines may provide good practice ground for undergraduate and graduate science students wishing to improve their communication skills.

  5. National Genome Research Initiative: A New Paradigm For Teaching Research To Undergraduates In South America

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Ovalle

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: From 2007 to 2011, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI recruited professors across the US to test a new paradigm in undergraduate education: the National Genome Research Initiative (NGRI. Undergraduates were taught to isolate bacteriophages, characterize their findings, and report to the scientific community.Objective: The educational goal of the NGRI program was to expose science undergraduates to an authentic research experience to increase graduation rates. The scientific goal was to isolate mycobacteriophages to be used as therapeutic agents against disease-causing mycobacteria.Materials and Methods: In a one-semester lab course undergraduates are taught to find, grow, and purify bacteriophages. In the second semester, students use bioinformatic software to annotate sequences of their bacteriophages.Results: Ahead of data on student graduation rates, the NGRI program has generated expanded productivity for US undergraduates. Over a four year period, thousands of participants were taught to collect bacteriophages, annotate sequences, and present their findings. Those undergraduates will have isolated 2300+ phages, annotated 250+ sequences, presented hundreds of posters at conferences across the US, and are co-authors on papers published by labs participating in the NGRI program.Discussion: Many professors in the US academic community are convinced that the NGRI program will have lasting impact on the US educational system. Several professors have banded together to form the Phage Galaxy Consortium to continue HHMI’s goal of implementation of the NGRI program at all US colleges.Conclusions: HHMI’s paradigm is ready for distribution to Central and South America.

  6. Merits of Undergraduate and High School Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenney, John

    2016-06-01

    When it comes to sports, everyone gets it; you have to play to really understand, experience, and learn what the game is all about. It would be ludicrous to teach basketball by practicing basketball fundamentals in the gym (layups, free throws, jump shots, dribbling, defense), reading about and attending professional basketball games, but never playing in a game. As important as classes and teaching laboratories may be in science education, there is simply no substitute for active engagement in scientific research to show students what science is all about and, perhaps even more importantly, to inspire and motivate them to become scientists or at least appreciate science. It is a widely held misconception that a student cannot really do meaningful, publishable scientific research until he/she is in graduate school. In actual fact, college undergraduates and even high school students can make original and significant scientific research contributions. Astronomical research, in particular, is very well suited to engage the beginning high school or college undergraduate researcher. The night sky’s inherent accessibility and also its inherent grandeur are natural draws for the curious student’s mind. And much can be learned and discovered using small telescopes. In sports, joining a team is a key aspect of the sports experience. Similarly in science, joining a research team and thereby entering a “community of scientific practice” is fundamental and transformational. As important as working with equipment and acquiring data happen to be in scientific research, this is only the beginning of the research process. Student researchers of all ages—particularly high school students and college undergraduates—have much to gain by giving presentations on their research, writing up their results for publication, and going through the peer review process. But this only works if the student researchers are imbedded within the community of practice.

  7. The Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, J. Donald; Castelaz, M.; Whitworth, C.; Clavier, D.; Owen, L.; Barker, T.

    2012-01-01

    Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) offers summer undergraduate research internships. PARI has received support for the internships from the NC Space Grant Consortium, NSF awards for public science education, private donations, private foundations, and through a collaboration with the Pisgah Astronomical Research and Education Center of the University of North Carolina - Asheville. The internship program began in 2001 with 4 students. This year 7 funded students participated in 2011. Mentors for the interns include PARI's Science, Education, and Information Technology Directors and visiting faculty who are members of the PARI Research Affiliate Faculty program. Students work with mentors on radio and optical astronomy research, electrical engineering for robotic control of instruments, software development for instrument control and software for citizen science projects, and science education by developing curricula and multimedia and teaching high school students in summer programs at PARI. At the end of the summer interns write a paper about their research which is published in the PARI Summer Student Proceedings. Several of the students have presented their results at AAS Meetings. We will present a summary of specific research conducted by the students with their mentors, the logistics for hosting the PARI undergraduate internship program, and plans for growth based on the impact of an NSF supported renovation to the Research Building on the PARI campus.

  8. ChE Undergraduate Research Projects in Biomedical Engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stroeve, Pieter

    1981-01-01

    Describes an undergraduate research program in biomedical engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Includes goals and faculty comments on the program. Indicates that 58 percent of projects conducted between 1976 and 1980 have been presented at meetings or published. (SK)

  9. Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment: Site Map

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment: Site Map. Journal Home > About the Journal > Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment: Site Map. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  10. The Role of Student-Advisor Interactions in Apprenticing Undergraduate Researchers into a Scientific Community of Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thiry, Heather; Laursen, Sandra L.

    2011-12-01

    Among science educators, current interest in undergraduate research (UR) is influenced both by the traditional role of the research apprenticeship in scientists' preparation and by concerns about replacing the current scientific workforce. Recent research has begun to demonstrate the range of personal, professional, and intellectual benefits for STEM students from participating in UR, yet the processes by which student-advisor interactions contribute to these benefits are little understood. We employ situated learning theory (Lave and Wenger, Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge in 1991) to examine the role of student-advisor interactions in apprenticing undergraduate researchers, particularly in terms of acculturating students to the norms, values, and professional practice of science. This qualitative study examines interviews with a diverse sample of 73 undergraduate research students from two research-extensive institutions. From these interviews, we articulate a continuum of practices that research mentors employed in three domains to support undergraduate scientists-in-training: professional socialization, intellectual support, and personal/emotional support. The needs of novice students differed from those of experienced students in each of these areas. Novice students needed clear expectations, guidelines, and orientation to their specific research project, while experienced students needed broader socialization in adopting the traits, habits, and temperament of scientific researchers. Underrepresented minority students, and to a lesser extent, women, gained confidence from their interactions with their research mentors and broadened their future career and educational possibilities. Undergraduate research at research-extensive universities exemplifies a cycle of scientific learning and practice where undergraduate researchers are mentored by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, who are

  11. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    engineering fields). It seeks particularly (but not exclusively) to encourage multidisciplinary research and collaboration among scientists, the industry and the healthcare ... The journal welcomes original research papers, reviews and case reports on current topics of special .... software package version 6.1 (CDC, Atlanta,.

  12. Undergraduate Research at SETI in Astrobiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kress, Monika; Phillips, C.; DeVore, E.; Hubickyj, O.

    2012-05-01

    The SETI Institute and San Jose State University (SJSU) have begun a partnership (URSA: Undergraduate Research at the SETI Institute in Astrobiology) in which undergraduate science and engineering majors from SJSU participate in research at the SETI Institute during the academic year. We are currently in our second year of the three-year NASA-funded grant. The goal of this program is to expose future scientists, engineers and educators to the science of astrobiology and to NASA in general, and by so doing, to prepare them for the transition to their future career in the Silicon Valley or beyond. The URSA students are mentored by a SETI Institute scientist who conducts research at the SETI Institute headquarters or nearby at NASA Ames Research Center. The SETI Institute is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research, education and public outreach. Its mission is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. SJSU is a large urban public university that serves the greater Silicon Valley area in California. Students at SJSU come from diverse ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Many of them face financial pressures that force them to pursue part-time work. URSA students are paid to work for 10 hours/week during the academic year, and also participate in monthly group meetings where they practice their presentation skills and discuss future plans. We encourage underserved and underrepresented students, including women, minority, and those who are the first in their family to go to college, to apply to the URSA program and provide ongoing mentoring and support as needed. While preparing students for graduate school is not a primary goal, some of our students have gone on to MS or PhD programs or plan to do so. The URSA program is funded by NASA EPOESS.

  13. Providing Undergraduate Research Opportunities Through the World Rivers Observatory Collaborative Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillies, S. L.; Marsh, S. J.; Janmaat, A.; Peucker-Ehrenbrink, B.; Voss, B.; Holmes, R. M.

    2013-12-01

    Successful research collaboration exists between the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), a primarily undergraduate-serving university located on the Fraser River in British Columbia, and the World Rivers Observatory that is coordinated through the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC). The World Rivers Observatory coordinates time-series sampling of 15 large rivers, with particular focus on the large Arctic rivers, the Ganges-Brahmaputra, Congo, Fraser, Yangtze (Changjiang), Amazon, and Mackenzie River systems. The success of this international observatory critically depends on the participation of local collaborators, such as UFV, that are necessary in order to collect temporally resolved data from these rivers. Several faculty members and undergraduate students from the Biology and Geography Departments of UFV received on-site training from the lead-PIs of the Global Rivers Observatory. To share information and ensure good quality control of sampling methods, WHOI and WHRC hosted two international workshops at Woods Hole for collaborators. For the past four years, faculty and students from UFV have been collecting a variety of bi-monthly water samples from the Fraser River for the World Rivers Observatory. UFV undergraduate students who become involved learn proper sampling techniques and are given the opportunity to design and conduct their own research. Students have collected, analyzed and presented data from this project at regional, national, and international scientific meetings. UFV undergraduate students have also been hosted by WHOI and WHRC as guest students to work on independent research projects. While at WHOI and WHRC, students are able to conduct research using state-of-the-art specialized research facilities not available at UFV.

  14. Undergraduate Biocuration: Developing Tomorrow's Researchers While Mining Today's Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Cassie S; Cates, Ashlyn; Kim, Renaid B; Hollinger, Sabrina K

    2015-01-01

    Biocuration is a time-intensive process that involves extraction, transcription, and organization of biological or clinical data from disjointed data sets into a user-friendly database. Curated data is subsequently used primarily for text mining or informatics analysis (bioinformatics, neuroinformatics, health informatics, etc.) and secondarily as a researcher resource. Biocuration is traditionally considered a Ph.D. level task, but a massive shortage of curators to consolidate the ever-mounting biomedical "big data" opens the possibility of utilizing biocuration as a means to mine today's data while teaching students skill sets they can utilize in any career. By developing a biocuration assembly line of simplified and compartmentalized tasks, we have enabled biocuration to be effectively performed by a hierarchy of undergraduate students. We summarize the necessary physical resources, process for establishing a data path, biocuration workflow, and undergraduate hierarchy of curation, technical, information technology (IT), quality control and managerial positions. We detail the undergraduate application and training processes and give detailed job descriptions for each position on the assembly line. We present case studies of neuropathology curation performed entirely by undergraduates, namely the construction of experimental databases of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) transgenic mouse models and clinical data from ALS patient records. Our results reveal undergraduate biocuration is scalable for a group of 8-50+ with relatively minimal required resources. Moreover, with average accuracy rates greater than 98.8%, undergraduate biocurators are equivalently accurate to their professional counterparts. Initial training to be completely proficient at the entry-level takes about five weeks with a minimal student time commitment of four hours/week.

  15. Mentor Service Themes Emergent in a Holistic, Undergraduate Peer-Mentoring Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Elijah G.; Thomas, Earl E.; Disch, William B.

    2014-01-01

    Little research has focused carefully on the means by which peer mentors foster development in undergraduate protégés. Two faculty members developed a holistic, peer-mentoring project in which 26 upperclassmen mentored 74 underclassmen at a midsize, 4-year institution. Mentor journal notes, open-ended protégé responses, and participant…

  16. Multilevel approach to mentoring in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonine, K. E.; Dontsova, K.; Pavao-Zuckerman, M.; Paavo, B.; Hogan, D.; Oberg, E.; Gay, J.

    2015-12-01

    This presentation focuses on different types of mentoring for students participating in Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs with examples, including some new approaches, from The Environmental and Earth Systems Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program at Biosphere 2. While traditional faculty mentors play essential role in students' development as researchers and professionals, other formal and informal mentoring can be important component of the REU program and student experiences. Students receive mentoring from program directors, coordinators, and on site undergraduate advisors. While working on their research projects, REU students receive essential support and mentoring from undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in the research groups of their primary mentors. Cohort living and group activities give multiple opportunities for peer mentoring where each student brings their own strengths and experiences to the group. Biosphere 2 REU program puts strong emphasis on teaching students to effectively communicate their research to public. In order to help REUs learn needed skills the outreach personnel at Biosphere 2 mentor and advise students both in groups and individually, in lecture format and by personal example, on best outreach approaches in general and on individual outreach projects students develop. To further enhance and strengthen outreach mentoring we used a novel approach of blending cohort of REU students with the Cal Poly STAR (STEM Teacher And Researcher) Program fellows, future K-12 STEM teachers who are gaining research experience at Biosphere 2. STAR fellows live together with the REU students and participate with them in professional development activities, as well as perform research side by side. Educational background and experiences gives these students a different view and better preparation and tools to effectively communicate and adapt science to lay audiences, a challenge commonly facing

  17. A global study of undergraduate environmental engineering programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abro, Q.M.

    2005-01-01

    Recent analyses of environmental engineering and management (EE and M) field has highlighted its rapidly expanding size and increasingly diverse nature (Hart and Nolan, 1999). The last 30 years have seen growing international recognition that the challenges associated with environmental degradation and sustainable development have important implications for, and connections with, education and research (IUCN, 1970; UNCED, 1992). The concept of environmental education is now widespread in national educational policies, curriculum documents, curriculum development initiatives, and conservation strategies. Reflecting this trend, several universities throughout the world offer a wide range of graduate as well as undergraduate programs in environment. These programs have originated from various academic schools and disciplines (engineering, public policy, business, management, etc) creating considerable diversity of focus, themes emphasized, courses and methods of offerings. The rise of these programs, in part, reflects the growing need for engineers, technologists as well as managers, who are able to understand, contribute to, and manage a wide variety of technology-based programs and organizations. In addition, the large number of environmental engineering research journals, professional associations and international/national conferences point to the rapid growth of this field. This paper will examine the trends in provision, type of program, major curriculum focus of undergraduate environmental engineering and management education and then compare these trends with the emerging trends in the environmental engineering and management research journals of the last decade. (author)

  18. Nigerian Journal of Technological Research: Submissions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Contributions to The Nigerian Journal of Technological Research are invited on the ... to Pure and Applied Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Environmental Sciences, ... Acceptance of paper for publication in The Journal implies that it has not been ... In line with the development in ICT, electronic versions for all MS will be ...

  19. Tropical Journal of Medical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tropical Journal of Medical Research publishes original research work, review articles, important case report, short communications, and innovations in medicine and related fields. Vol 16, No 2 (2012). DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT Open Access DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT Subscription or Fee Access. Table of Contents. Articles ...

  20. Collaboration and Community Building in Summer Undergraduate Research Programs in the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nevle, R. J.; Watson Nelson, T.; Harris, J. M.; Klemperer, S. L.

    2012-12-01

    In 2012, the School of Earth Sciences (SES) at Stanford University sponsored two summer undergraduate research programs. Here we describe these programs and efforts to build a cohesive research cohort among the programs' diverse participants. The two programs, the Stanford School of Earth Sciences Undergraduate Research (SESUR) Program and Stanford School of Earth Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research in Geoscience and Engineering (SURGE) Program, serve different undergraduate populations and have somewhat different objectives, but both provide students with opportunities to work on strongly mentored yet individualized research projects. In addition to research, enrichment activities co-sponsored by both programs support the development of community within the combined SES summer undergraduate research cohort. Over the course of 6 to 9 months, the SESUR Program engages Stanford undergraduates, primarily rising sophomores and juniors, with opportunities to deeply explore Earth sciences research while learning about diverse areas of inquiry within SES. Now in its eleventh year, the SESUR experience incorporates the breadth of the scientific endeavor: finding an advisor, proposal writing, obtaining funding, conducting research, and presenting results. Goals of the SESUR program include (1) providing a challenging and rewarding research experience for undergraduates who wish to explore the Earth sciences; (2) fostering interdisciplinary study in the Earth sciences among the undergraduate population; and (3) encouraging students to major or minor in the Earth sciences and/or to complete advanced undergraduate research in one of the departments or programs within SES. The SURGE Program, now in its second year, draws high performing students, primarily rising juniors and seniors, from 14 colleges and universities nationwide, including Stanford. Seventy percent of SURGE students are from racial/ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in STEM fields, and approximately one

  1. The Undergraduate as Researcher: Selected Studies in Mass Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felsenthal, Norman A.

    Reporting on a group of class projects undertaken by a series of his college-level "Broadcasting and Society" courses, the author concludes that there is great value in encouraging undergraduates to do their own original research. Among the topics researched by the students are the effect of television on nuns, television news viewing habits of…

  2. Students' Perceptions of an Applied Research Experience in an Undergraduate Exercise Science Course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, Regis C; Crandall, K Jason; Dispennette, Kathryn; Maples, Jill M

    2017-01-01

    Applied research experiences can provide numerous benefits to undergraduate students, however few studies have assessed the perceptions of Exercise Science (EXS) students to an applied research experience. The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) to describe the rationale and implementation of an applied research experience into an EXS curriculum and 2) to evaluate EXS undergraduate students' perceptions of an applied research experience. An EXS measurement course was chosen for implementation of an applied research experience. The applied research experience required groups of students to design, implement, and evaluate a student-led research project. Fourteen questions were constructed, tailored to EXS undergraduate students, to assess students' perceptions of the experience. Qualitative analysis was used for all applicable data, with repeated trends noted; quantitative data were collapsed to determine frequencies. There was an overall positive student perception of the experience and 85.7% of students agreed an applied research experience should be continued. 84.7% of students perceived the experience as educationally enriching, while 92.8% reported the experience was academically challenging. This experience allowed students to develop comprehensive solutions to problems that arose throughout the semester; while facilitating communication, collaboration, and problem solving. Students believed research experiences were beneficial, but could be time consuming when paired with other responsibilities. Results suggest an applied research experience has the potential to help further the development of EXS undergraduate students. Understanding student perceptions of an applied research experience may prove useful to faculty interested in engaging students in the research process.

  3. Astrobites and GeoSciBites: Using Online Research Digests for Outreach to Undergraduates and the Broader Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranjan, S.; Kohler, S.; Sanders, N.; Morey, S.

    2013-12-01

    Effective science communication is imperative for the sharing of scientific ideas, continued funding and support from policy makers, and education of the public. As future researchers and educators, it is particularly important to engage graduate students in science communication. Astrobites (http://astrobites.org) is an innovative education initiative developed by graduate students in planetary science, astronomy, and astrophysics. Our goal is to help undergraduates make the transition from the classroom to careers in research by introducing them to the astronomical literature in a pedagogical, approachable, and comprehensible way. Every day we select one new journal article posted to the astrophysics preprint server (arXiv.org/astro-ph) and prepare a brief summary describing methods and results, explain jargon, and provide context. We also write regular blog posts containing career advice, such as tips for applying for fellowships or demystifying the publishing process. The articles are written by 30 graduate students in astrophysics from throughout the US and Europe and are read by 1000 daily readers worldwide, including undergraduates, researchers, and interested non-scientists. We describe lessons learned in starting, sustaining, and expanding science outreach blogs like Astrobites. We survey our readership and present analysis summarizing our reader base and impact. We report on the foundation of other ';bites blogs, focusing on the foundation of GeoSciBites, a geophysical sciences outreach blog. We discuss future opportunities for additional outreach initiatives in new disciplines.

  4. Promoting Diversity in Undergraduate Research in Robotics-Based Seismic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gifford, C. M.; Arthur, C. L.; Carmichael, B. L.; Webber, G. K.; Agah, A.

    2006-12-01

    The motivation for this research was to investigate forming evenly-spaced grid patterns with a team of mobile robots for future use in seismic imaging in polar environments. A team of robots was incrementally designed and simulated by incorporating sensors and altering each robot's controller. Challenges, design issues, and efficiency were also addressed. This research project incorporated the efforts of two undergraduate REU students from Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) in North Carolina, and the research staff at the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) at the University of Kansas. ECSU is a historically black university. Mentoring these two minority students in scientific research, seismic, robotics, and simulation will hopefully encourage them to pursue graduate degrees in science-related or engineering fields. The goals for this 10-week internship during summer 2006 were to educate the students in the fields of seismology, robotics, and virtual prototyping and simulation. Incrementally designing a robot platform for future enhancement and evaluation was central to this research, and involved simulation of several robots working together to change seismic grid shape and spacing. This process gave these undergraduate students experience and knowledge in an actual research project for a real-world application. The two undergraduate students gained valuable research experience and advanced their knowledge of seismic imaging, robotics, sensors, and simulation. They learned that seismic sensors can be used in an array to gather 2D and 3D images of the subsurface. They also learned that robotics can support dangerous or difficult human activities, such as those in a harsh polar environment, by increasing automation, robustness, and precision. Simulating robot designs also gave them experience in programming behaviors for mobile robots. Thus far, one academic paper has resulted from their research. This paper received third place at the 2006

  5. Writing a Research Paper for Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bal Krishna Joshi

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Agricultural research findings are required to reach soon to the farmers, extensionists, media, researchers, policy makers, businessperson, students, teachers and so many other stakeholders. Among different types of publications, research paper is generally published in journal considered as standard type of publication in term of quality and recognition. Most of the journals follow similar pattern and framework; however, the style, format and process may be different with each other. A research (scientific paper is a written describing original research result using standard methods and materials. The major sections in a journal paper are abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. Accordingly Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council has its own style and format. Author needs to follow guidelines strictly on the use of punctuation marks such as comma (,, period (., space, justification etc; otherwise submitted manuscripts could be immediately return to author without considering in review process. In general, we received manuscripts with many errors on citation and references, poor elaboration of results of experiments, weak discussion, missing to acknowledge funding agencies, submitting non-editable figures, very few numbers of citations of Nepalese researchers, statements not in logical order, etc. In general, the scientific papers should be written in simple way with new but sufficient justification backed up by data in the form of tables, graphs, flow diagrams etc so that readers can understand easily with high readability. The submitted manuscript in the journal office are sent to two to three reviewers for specific recommendation on the originality of the work, appropriateness of the approach and experimental design, adequacy of experimental techniques, soundness of conclusions and interpretations, relevance of discussion and importance of the research. The language clarity and

  6. Methods for Retention of Undergraduate Students in Field-Based Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehnen, J. N.

    2017-12-01

    Undergraduate students often participate in research by following the vision, creativity, and procedures established by their principal investigators. Students at the undergraduate level rarely get a chance to direct the course of their own research and have little experience creatively solving advanced problems and establishing project objectives. This lack of independence and ingenuity results in students missing out on some of the most key aspects of research. For the last two years, the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) at the University of Houston has encouraged students to become more independent scientists by completing a research project from start to finish with minimal reliance on faculty mentors. As part of USIP, students were responsible for proposing scientific questions about the upper stratosphere, designing instruments to answer those questions, and launching their experiments into the atmosphere of Fairbanks, Alaska. Everything from formulation of experiment ideas to actual launching of the balloon borne payloads was planned by and performed by students; members of the team even established a student leadership system, handled monetary responsibilities, and coordinated with NASA representatives to complete design review requirements. This session will discuss the pros and cons of student-led research by drawing on USIP as an example, focusing specifically on how the experience impacted student engagement and retention in the program. This session will also discuss how to encourage students to disseminate their knowledge through conferences, collaborations, and educational outreach initiatives by again using USIP students as an example.

  7. Undergraduate Research Involving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students in Interdisciplinary Science Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Todd Pagano

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Scientific undergraduate research in higher education often yields positive outcomes for student and faculty member participants alike, with underrepresented students often showing even more substantial gains (academic, professional, and personal as a result of the experience. Significant success can be realized when involving deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/hh undergraduate students, who are also vastly underrepresented in the sciences, in interdisciplinary research projects. Even d/hh Associate degree level students and those in the first two years of their postsecondary careers can contribute to, and benefit from, the research process when faculty mentors properly plan/design projects. We discuss strategies, including the dissemination/communication of research results, for involving these students in research groups with different communication dynamics and share both findings of our research program and examples of successful chemical and biological research projects that have involved d/hh undergraduate students. We hope to stimulate a renewed interest in encouraging diversity and involving students with disabilities into higher education research experiences globally and across multiple scientific disciplines, thus strengthening the education and career pipeline of these students.

  8. Impact of Journaling on Students’ Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krista K. Fritson, PsyD

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available While considerable research has examined the academic and cognitive value of journaling, little has examined the psychological impact of journaling on the personal development of college students. Research on cognitive-behavioral therapy indicates that journaling can have a positive impact on individuals’ self-growth and intrapersonal characteristics. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of classroom-based journaling on students’ self-efficacy and locus of control. Students in two undergraduate courses were required to complete weekly journal assignments; one class received targeted information on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT and one class did not. Students completed pre-, mid-, and postcourse assessments on self-efficacy, locus of control, and learning. Results revealed that self-efficacy scores for both groups significantly improved after the early journaling assignments; however, there were no differences between those who received direct CBT instruction and those who did not. These findings indicate that journaling may have important psychological benefits above and beyond its expected academic and cognitive outcomes.

  9. Impact of Journaling on Students’ Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krista K. Fritson

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available While considerable research has examined the academic and cognitive value of journaling, little has examined the psychological impact of journaling on the personal development of college students. Research on cognitive-behavioral therapy indicates that journaling can have a positive impact on individuals’ self-growth and intrapersonal characteristics. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of classroom-based journaling on students’ self-efficacy and locus of control. Students in two undergraduate courses were required to complete weekly journal assignments; one class received targeted information on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT and one class did not. Students completed pre-, mid-, and post-course assessments on self-efficacy, locus of control, and learning. Results revealed that self-efficacy scores for both groups significantly improved after the early journaling assignments; however, there were no differences between those who received direct CBT instruction and those who did not. These findings indicate that journaling may have important psychological benefits above and beyond its expected academic and cognitive outcomes.

  10. African Journal of Management Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Topics and themes appropriate for African Journal of Management Research will ... of management and organisational disciplines including: Finance, Operations, ... Marketing Services, Public Administration, Health Services Management, and ...

  11. The Benefits of Multi-Year Research Experiences: Differences in Novice and Experienced Students’ Reported Gains from Undergraduate Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thiry, Heather; Weston, Timothy J.; Laursen, Sandra L.; Hunter, Anne-Barrie

    2012-01-01

    This mixed-methods study explores differences in novice and experienced undergraduate students’ perceptions of their cognitive, personal, and professional gains from engaging in scientific research. The study was conducted in four different undergraduate research (UR) programs at two research-extensive universities; three of these programs had a focus on the biosciences. Seventy-three entry-level and experienced student researchers participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews and completed the quantitative Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA) instrument. Interviews and surveys assessed students’ developmental outcomes from engaging in UR. Experienced students reported distinct personal, professional, and cognitive outcomes relative to their novice peers, including a more sophisticated understanding of the process of scientific research. Students also described the trajectories by which they developed not only the intellectual skills necessary to advance in science, but also the behaviors and temperament necessary to be a scientist. The findings suggest that students benefit from multi-year UR experiences. Implications for UR program design, advising practices, and funding structures are discussed. PMID:22949423

  12. International Students on an American Campus: An Undergraduate Research Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthews, Judith; Quattrocki, Carolyn

    1981-01-01

    Describes a seminar in which undergraduate students in home economics were provided with research training and the opportunity to work together on a research project which included housing, clothing, nutrition, consumer services, child development, and family relations. Students also explored difficulties international students encounter in…

  13. Astrobites: The Astro-ph Reader's Digest For Undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohler, Susanna; Astrobites Team

    2013-04-01

    Astrobites (http://astrobites.com) is a daily blog aimed primarily at undergraduates interested in astrophysical research and written by a team of graduate students located at diverse institutions around the world. Nearly every day we present a journal article recently posted to astro-ph in a brief format that is accessible to anyone with a general background in the physical sciences. In addition to summarizing new work, Astrobites provides valuable context for readers not yet familiar with the astrophysical literature. Special posts offer career guidance for undergraduates (e.g. applying for an NSF graduate fellowship) and describe personal experiences (e.g. attending an astronomy summer school). We will discuss the Astrobites format and recent readership statistics, as well as potential methods for incorporating Astrobites into the classroom.

  14. Journal of Agricultural Research and Development

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Journal of Agricultural Research and Development aims at publishing research reports, short communications, Critical Reviews in Agricultural Economics and Farm ... Response of Sesamum radiatum Schum vegetable and seed yield to ...

  15. Tsinghua-Johns Hopkins Joint Center for Biomedical Engineering Research: scientific and cultural exchange in undergraduate engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisneski, Andrew D; Huang, Lixia; Hong, Bo; Wang, Xiaoqin

    2011-01-01

    A model for an international undergraduate biomedical engineering research exchange program is outlined. In 2008, the Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with Tsinghua University in Beijing, China established the Tsinghua-Johns Hopkins Joint Center for Biomedical Engineering Research. Undergraduate biomedical engineering students from both universities are offered the opportunity to participate in research at the overseas institution. Programs such as these will not only provide research experiences for undergraduates but valuable cultural exchange and enrichment as well. Currently, strict course scheduling and rigorous curricula in most biomedical engineering programs may present obstacles for students to partake in study abroad opportunities. Universities are encouraged to harbor abroad opportunities for undergraduate engineering students, for which this particular program can serve as a model.

  16. Demand for Interdisciplinary Laboratories for Physiology Research by Undergraduate Students in Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clase, Kari L.; Hein, Patrick W.; Pelaez, Nancy J.

    2008-01-01

    Physiology as a discipline is uniquely positioned to engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research in response to the 2006-2011 National Science Foundation Strategic Plan call for innovative transformational research, which emphasizes multidisciplinary projects. To prepare undergraduates for careers that cross disciplinary…

  17. Incorporating Primary Literature in Undergraduate Crop Science Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Lori K.; Simmons, Steve R.

    2006-01-01

    Primary literature is an underutilized learning resource for undergraduate courses in crop science. Reading assignments from scientific journals were utilized in an undergraduate University of Minnesota crop physiology course at Southwest Minnesota State University from 2002 to 2004. The subjects of the articles corresponded to the lecture topics.…

  18. Peer Mentoring for Undergraduates in a Research-Focused Diversity Initiative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Thomas E.; Logan, Kay; Lindwall, Jennifer; Beals, Caitlyn

    2017-01-01

    To provide multi-dimensional support for undergraduates from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds who aspire to careers in research, the BUILD EXITO project, part of a major NIH-funded diversity initiative, matches each scholar with three mentors: peer mentor (advanced student), career mentor (faculty adviser), and research mentor (research…

  19. Advancing Space Sciences through Undergraduate Research Experiences at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory - a novel approach to undergraduate internships for first generation community college students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raftery, C. L.; Davis, H. B.; Peticolas, L. M.; Paglierani, R.

    2015-12-01

    The Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley launched an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the summer of 2015. The "Advancing Space Sciences through Undergraduate Research Experiences" (ASSURE) program recruited heavily from local community colleges and universities, and provided a multi-tiered mentorship program for students in the fields of space science and engineering. The program was focussed on providing a supportive environment for 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates, many of whom were first generation and underrepresented students. This model provides three levels of mentorship support for the participating interns: 1) the primary research advisor provides academic and professional support. 2) The program coordinator, who meets with the interns multiple times per week, provides personal support and helps the interns to assimilate into the highly competitive environment of the research laboratory. 3) Returning undergraduate interns provided peer support and guidance to the new cohort of students. The impacts of this program on the first generation students and the research mentors, as well as the lessons learned will be discussed.

  20. Displaying a Poster, Unifying a Campus: Undergraduate Research Day at Penn State Wilkes-Barre

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennie Levine Knies

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This article describes the first official Undergraduate Research Day at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, a small campus with approximately 550 undergraduate students and 8 four-year degree programs. In 2015, an informal planning committee, consisting of two librarians and two faculty members, embarked on a project to turn what had been an informal course assignment into a campus-wide research event.  By remaining flexible, engaged, and open to collaboration, the committee made Undergraduate Research Day in April 2015 a success, and plans are underway to hold this event in subsequent years.  The event energized and motivated students, faculty, and staff on campus and paved the way toward a unified organizational identity on campus.

  1. The State of Enrollment Management in Journalism and Mass Communication Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rawlins, Brad L.; Soenksen, Roger; Jensen, Matt

    Some programs in journalism and mass communication have been forced to incorporate limited enrollment strategies, as undergraduate interest in these programs continues to grow. After 4 years of moderate growth, undergraduate enrollments in journalism and mass communication programs increased dramatically in the year 2000. Some of the limited…

  2. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research comprised of four sections: Scholarly articles ... A Requiem Too Soon or a Landing Strand Too Far? ... Mathematics (STEM) Education in Zimbabwe Secondary Schools: Access, Quality, Policy ...

  3. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, one year on

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Borthwick Alan M

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Journal of Foot and Ankle Research was launched one year ago, and a number of its key achievements are highlighted in this editorial. Although the journal is underpinned by professional bodies associated with the podiatry professions in the UK and Australasia, its content is aimed at the wider foot and ankle research community. Nevertheless, the journal's achievements over the past year reflect the development of research in the profession of podiatry. From this perspective, the journal may be viewed as contributing to the overall attainment of some of the profession's key goals and strategic aims over the last decade, across the UK and Australasia. The journal has also witnessed policy changes in the last year, and these are discussed - notably, the decision not to accept case reports for publication. We also report on a few of the key metrics, providing readers with a summary of the journal's performance over the last year.

  4. Embedding responsible conduct in learning and research into an Australian undergraduate curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandes, Lynette B

    2017-01-02

    Responsible conduct in learning and research (RCLR) was progressively introduced into the pharmacology curriculum for undergraduate science students at The University of Western Australia. In the second year of this undergraduate curriculum, a lecture introduces students to issues such as the use of animals in teaching and responsible conduct of research. Third year student groups deliver presentations on topics including scientific integrity and the use of human subjects in research. Academic and research staff attending these presentations provide feedback and participate in discussions. Students enrolled in an optional capstone Honours year complete an online course on the responsible conduct of research and participate in an interactive movie. Once RCLR became established in the curriculum, a survey of Likert-scaled and open-ended questions examined student and staff perceptions. Data were expressed as Approval (% of responses represented by Strongly Agree and Agree). RCLR was found to be relevant to the study of pharmacology (69-100% Approval), important for one's future career (62-100% Approval), and stimulated further interest in this area (32-75% Approval). Free entry comments demonstrated the value of RCLR and constructive suggestions for improvement have now been incorporated. RCLR modules were found to be a valuable addition to the pharmacology undergraduate curriculum. This approach may be used to incorporate ethics into any science undergraduate curriculum, with the use of discipline-specific topics. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):53-59, 2017. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  5. A Social Capital Perspective on the Mentoring of Undergraduate Life Science Researchers: An Empirical Study of Undergraduate–Postgraduate–Faculty Triads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aikens, Melissa L.; Sadselia, Sona; Watkins, Keiana; Evans, Mara; Eby, Lillian T.; Dolan, Erin L.

    2016-01-01

    Undergraduate researchers at research universities are often mentored by graduate students or postdoctoral researchers (referred to collectively as “postgraduates”) and faculty, creating a mentoring triad structure. Triads differ based on whether the undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty member interact with one another about the undergraduate’s research. Using a social capital theory framework, we hypothesized that different triad structures provide undergraduates with varying resources (e.g., information, advice, psychosocial support) from the postgraduates and/or faculty, which would affect the undergraduates’ research outcomes. To test this, we collected data from a national sample of undergraduate life science researchers about their mentoring triad structure and a range of outcomes associated with research experiences, such as perceived gains in their abilities to think and work like scientists, science identity, and intentions to enroll in a PhD program. Undergraduates mentored by postgraduates alone reported positive outcomes, indicating that postgraduates can be effective mentors. However, undergraduates who interacted directly with faculty realized greater outcomes, suggesting that faculty interaction is important for undergraduates to realize the full benefits of research. The “closed triad,” in which undergraduates, postgraduates, and faculty all interact directly, appeared to be uniquely beneficial; these undergraduates reported the highest gains in thinking and working like a scientist. PMID:27174583

  6. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    2008-06-12

    Jun 12, 2008 ... The journal welcomes original research papers, reviews and case reports on current ... serpentine, reserpine, narcotine, caffeine, ... were fed on healthy diet and maintained in ... (i) Effect of methanolic extract of Plumeria.

  7. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    disciplines (including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, biotechnology, cell and ... The journal welcomes original research papers, reviews and case reports on current ..... Asian J. Pharm. 2008; 2:73-76. 5. Rasenack N, Muller BW. Dissolution rate.

  8. Preamble | Burnett | South African Journal for Research in Sport ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 39, No 1:2 (2017) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  9. Journal of Agricultural Research and Development

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Journal of Agricultural Research and Development aims at publishing research reports, short communications, Critical Reviews in Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, Agronomy, Forestry, Animal Science, Food Technology, Soil Science, Home Economics, Agricultural Extension, Rural development, ...

  10. Is Qualitative Research Second Class Science? A Quantitative Longitudinal Examination of Qualitative Research in Medical Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shuval, Kerem; Harker, Karen; Roudsari, Bahman; Groce, Nora E.; Mills, Britain; Siddiqi, Zoveen; Shachak, Aviv

    2011-01-01

    Background Qualitative research appears to be gaining acceptability in medical journals. Yet, little is actually known about the proportion of qualitative research and factors affecting its publication. This study describes the proportion of qualitative research over a 10 year period and correlates associated with its publication. Design A quantitative longitudinal examination of the proportion of original qualitative research in 67 journals of general medicine during a 10 year period (1998–2007). The proportion of qualitative research was determined by dividing original qualitative studies published (numerator) by all original research articles published (denominator). We used a generalized estimating equations approach to assess the longitudinal association between the proportion of qualitative studies and independent variables (i.e. journals' country of publication and impact factor; editorial/methodological papers discussing qualitative research; and specific journal guidelines pertaining to qualitative research). Findings A 2.9% absolute increase and 3.4-fold relative increase in qualitative research publications occurred over a 10 year period (1.2% in 1998 vs. 4.1% in 2007). The proportion of original qualitative research was independently and significantly associated with the publication of editorial/methodological papers in the journal (b = 3.688, P = 0.012); and with qualitative research specifically mentioned in guidelines for authors (b = 6.847, Pqualitative research was associated only with journals published in the UK in comparison to other countries, yet with borderline statistical significance (b = 1.776, P = 0.075). The journals' impact factor was not associated with the publication of qualitative research. Conclusions Despite an increase in the proportion of qualitative research in medical journals over a 10 year period, the proportion remains low. Journals' policies pertaining to qualitative research, as expressed by the

  11. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    2008-11-03

    Nov 3, 2008 ... The International Journal of Health Research is an online ... forum for the communication and evaluation of data, methods and findings ... Introduction ... worms are pathogenic for human beings. .... McGraw Hill Co., New York,.

  12. Community researchers conducting health disparities research: Ethical and other insights from fieldwork journaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosavel, Maghboeba; Ahmed, Rashid; Daniels, Doria; Simon, Christian

    2011-07-01

    Lay persons who are trained to conduct research in their own communities form an essential part of many research projects. However, the effects of conducting research in their own communities have not been adequately explored. This paper examines the experiences, perceptions, and challenges faced by a group of community researchers during their involvement in a research project that examined if, and how, the relationships between mothers and their adolescent daughters could be harnessed to develop a daughter-initiated cervical cancer intervention. Seven community researchers interviewed 157 mother-daughter pairs in Cape Town, South Africa. We examine the use of journaling as a tool to document the experiences of community researchers, and we consider how journaling may help the community-based researcher grapple with the research process, and, more broadly, what such journal content illustrates with respect to the nature and challenges of community-engaged health research. An analysis of the content of the journals provides a strong indication of how personal and intimate the research process can be for community researchers by virtue of the background that they bring into the process as well as the additional weight of the research process itself. The complexities of navigating dual and somewhat oppositional roles - the role of impartial scientist or researcher and the role of invested community person - has been both underestimated and insufficiently researched. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Citation Behavior of Undergraduate Students: A Study of History, Political Science, and Sociology Papers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendley, Michelle

    2012-01-01

    The goal of this analysis was to obtain local citation behavior data on undergraduates researching history, political science, and sociology papers. The study found that students cited books and journals even with the availability of web sources; however, usage varied by subject. References to specific websites' domains also varied across subject…

  14. U.S. Institutional Research Productivity in Major Science Education Research Journals: Top 30 for 2000's

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrow, Lloyd H.; Tang, Nai-en

    2013-01-01

    VonAalst (2010) used Google Scholar to identify the top four science education research journals: "Journal of Research in Science Teaching," "Science Education," "International Journal of Science Education," and "Journal of Science Teacher Education." U.S. institutional productivity for 2000-2009 for the…

  15. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    The journal welcomes original research papers, reviews and case reports on current topics of special interest and relevance. ... Lipid solubility and molecular size are the major limiting factors for ... as natural digestive aids and as carriers for.

  16. Undergraduate Research and Economic Development: A Systems Approach in Wisconsin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Galen, Dean; Schneider-Rebozo, Lissa; Havholm, Karen; Andrews, Kris

    2015-01-01

    This chapter presents the state of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin System as an ongoing case study for best practices in systematic, intentional, statewide programming and initiatives connecting undergraduate research and economic development.

  17. A New Model for Transitioning Students from the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory to the Research Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollenbeck, Jessica J.; Wixson, Emily N.; Geske, Grant D.; Dodge, Matthew W.; Tseng, T. Andrew; Clauss, Allen D.; Blackwell, Helen E.

    2006-01-01

    The transformation of 346 chemistry courses into a training experience that could provide undergraduate students with a skill set essential for a research-based chemistry career is presented. The course has an innovative structure that connects undergraduate students with graduate research labs at the semester midpoint and also includes new,…

  18. Field Research Studying Whales in an Undergraduate Animal Behavior Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLaren, R. David; Schulte, Dianna; Kennedy, Jen

    2012-01-01

    This work describes a new field research laboratory in an undergraduate animal behavior course involving the study of whale behavior, ecology and conservation in partnership with a non-profit research organization--the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation (BOS). The project involves two weeks of training and five weekend trips on whale watch…

  19. Realizing Student, Faculty, and Institutional Outcomes at Scale: Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity within Systems and Consortia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malachowski, Mitchell; Osborn, Jeffrey M.; Karukstis, Kerry K.; Ambos, Elizabeth L.

    2015-01-01

    This chapter reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of undergraduate research as a student, faculty, and institutional success pathway, and provides the context for the Council on Undergraduate Research's support for developing and enhancing undergraduate research in systems and consortia. The chapter also provides brief introductions to each…

  20. Geoscience Education Research Project: Student Benefits and Effective Design of a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kortz, Karen M.; van der Hoeven Kraft, Katrien J.

    2016-01-01

    Undergraduate research has been shown to be an effective practice for learning science. While this is a popular discussion topic, there are few full examples in the literature for introductory-level students. This paper describes the Geoscience Education Research Project, an innovative course-based research experience designed for…

  1. Identity of the teacher-researcher in collaborative action research: concerns reflected in a research journal

    OpenAIRE

    Banegas, Darío Luis

    2012-01-01

    In this paper I report the insights of my personal research journal as part of a collaborative action research project I facilitated in a secondary school where I teach English as a foreign language. I kept a journal so as to offer the natural history of my research towards my doctoral degree. In this project I worked together with four participating teachers but I assumed a complex identity as I was a teacher-researcher i.e. doctoral researcher and a teacher. This entailed differe...

  2. Educational Technology Research Journals: "Australasian Journal of Educational Technology," 2003-2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadlock, Camey Andersen; Clegg, J. Aleta; Hickman, Garrett R.; Huyett, Sabrina Lynn; Jensen, Hyrum C.; West, Richard E.

    2014-01-01

    The authors analyzed all research articles in the "Australasian Journal of Educational Technology" from 2003 to 2012 to determine the types of research methodologies published, major contributing authors, and most frequently referenced keywords, abstract terms, and cited articles. During this decade, the majority of articles published…

  3. The Undergraduate Research Resources at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, J. Donald; Castelaz, Michael W.

    2016-01-01

    Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI), a former NASA tracking station located in western North Carolina, has been offering programs, campus, and instrument use for undergraduate research and learning experiences since 2000. Over these years, PARI has collaborated with universities and colleges in the Southeastern U.S. Sharing its campus with institutions of higher learning is a priority for PARI as part of its mission to "to providing hands-on educational and research opportunities for a broad cross-section of users in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines."PARI is a 200 acre campus for environmental, earth, geological, physical, and astronomical sciences. For example, the PARI 26-m and 4.6-m radio telescopes are excellent for teaching electromagnetic theory, spectroscopy, atomic and molecular emission processes, and general physics and astronomy concepts. The PARI campus has lab and office space, data centers with high speed internet, distance learning capabilities, radio and optical telescopes, earth science sensors, housing and cafeteria.Also, the campus is in an excellent spot for environmental and biological sciences lab and classroom experiences for students. The campus has the capability to put power and Internet access almost anywhere on its 200 acre campus so experiments can be set up in a protected area of a national forest. For example, Earthscope operates a Plate Boundary Observatory sensor on campus to measure plate tectonic motion. And, Clemson University has an instrument measuring winds and temperatures in the Thermsophere. The use of thePARI campus is limited only by the creativity faculty to provide a rich educational environment for their students. An overview of PARI will be presented along with a summary of programs, and a summary of undergraduate research experiences over the past 15 years. Access to PARI and collaboration possibilities will be presented.

  4. An entrepreneurial training model to enhance undergraduate training in biomedical research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamangar, Farin; Silver, Gillian; Hohmann, Christine; Hughes-Darden, Cleo; Turner-Musa, Jocelyn; Haines, Robert Trent; Jackson, Avis; Aguila, Nelson; Sheikhattari, Payam

    2017-01-01

    Undergraduate students who are interested in biomedical research typically work on a faculty member's research project, conduct one distinct task (e.g., running gels), and, step by step, enhance their skills. This "apprenticeship" model has been helpful in training many distinguished scientists over the years, but it has several potential drawbacks. For example, the students have limited autonomy, and may not understand the big picture, which may result in students giving up on their goals for a research career. Also, the model is costly and may greatly depend on a single mentor. The NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative has been established to fund innovative undergraduate research training programs and support institutional and faculty development of the recipient university. The training model at Morgan State University (MSU), namely " A S tudent- C entered En trepreneurship D evelopment training model" (ASCEND), is one of the 10 NIH BUILD-funded programs, and offers a novel, experimental "entrepreneurial" training approach. In the ASCEND training model, the students take the lead. They own the research, understand the big picture, and experience the entire scope of the research process, which we hypothesize will lead to a greater sense of self-efficacy and research competency, as well as an enhanced sense of science identity. They are also immersed in environments with substantial peer support, where they can exchange research ideas and share experiences. This is important for underrepresented minority students who might have fewer role models and less peer support in conducting research. In this article, we describe the MSU ASCEND entrepreneurial training model's components, rationale, and history, and how it may enhance undergraduate training in biomedical research that may be of benefit to other institutions. We also discuss evaluation methods, possible sustainability solutions, and programmatic challenges that can affect all

  5. Educational Technology Research Journals: Educational Technology Research and Development 2001-2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaugg, Holt; Amado, Mayavel; Small, Tyler R.; West, Richard E.

    2011-01-01

    This article examines 10 years (2001-2010) of journal articles from "Educational Technology Research and Development" (ETR&D) to determine trends in article topics, key contributing authors, citation patterns, and methodological trends. The analysis identified several unique characteristics of this journal over the past decade, including a balance…

  6. Integrated Factors Correlating Undergraduate Academic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Integrated Factors Correlating Undergraduate Academic Achievement in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. ... AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities ... Thus, it is study investigated the integrated factors determining academic performance of students in public secondary schools in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

  7. Integrating Opportunities: Applied Interdisciplinary Research in Undergraduate Geography and Geology Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viertel, David C.; Burns, Diane M.

    2012-01-01

    Unique integrative learning approaches represent a fundamental opportunity for undergraduate students and faculty alike to combine interdisciplinary methods with applied spatial research. Geography and geoscience-related disciplines are particularly well-suited to adapt multiple methods within a holistic and reflective mentored research paradigm.…

  8. Impact of Undergraduate Research Mentorship Affects on Student Desire, Confidence and Motivation to Continue Work in Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salm, Ann E.

    2015-01-01

    The quantitative Undergraduate Research Questionnaire (URQ) is used to assess the impact of undergraduate research mentorship affects, such as informal conversations, supportive faculty and/or peer interactions, on student confidence and motivation to continue working, learning or researching in the sciences (Taraban & Logue, 2012). Research…

  9. The "art" of science communication in undergraduate research training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatemi, F. R.; Stockwell, J.; Pinheiro, V.; White, B.

    2016-12-01

    Student creation of well-designed and engaging visuals in science communication can enhance their deep learning while streamlining the transmission of information to their audience. However, undergraduate research training does not frequently emphasize the design aspect of science communication. We devised and implemented a new curricular component to the Lake Champlain NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in Vermont. We took a holistic approach to communication training, with a targeted module in "art and science". Components to the module included: 1) an introduction to environmental themes in fine art, 2) a photography assignment in research documentation, 3) an overview of elements of design (e.g., color, typography, hierarchy), 4) a graphic design workshop using tools in Powerpoint, and 5) an introduction to scientific illustration. As part of the REU program, students were asked to document their work through photographs, and develop an infographic or scientific illustration complementary to their research. The "art and science" training culminated with a display and critique of their visual work. We report on student responses to the "art and science" training from exit interviews and survey questions. Based on our program, we identify a set of tools that mentors can use to enhance their student's ability to engage with a broad audience.

  10. Undergraduate Research and Education at MIT Haystack Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pratap, P.; Salah, J.

    2000-05-01

    The MIT Haystack Observatory Undergraduate Research Initiative is an NSF- funded program aimed at involving undergraduate students in active radio astronomical research. The project has two major thrusts - students get hands-on experience using a small radio telescope that has been developed at Haystack and which will be provided as a low cost kit early next year. Beta versions of this telescope are being built for a select group of institutions. The second component is a research experience with the Haystack 37-m telescope. Use of the 37-m telescope has ranged from classroom demonstrations to original research projects. The Small Radio Telescope (SRT) project consists of a 2m dish with a 1420 MHz receiver. The antenna has a two axis mount that provides full sky coverage. The telescope is intended to provide students and faculty with an introduction to radio astronomy and instrument calibration. Observations of the sun and the galactic HI line are possible with the current version of this telescope. The 37-m telescope program is aimed at providing students with a research experience that can result in publishable results. The telescope has also been used in providing students with an introduction to the scope of radio astronomical data including continuum and spectral line observations. Classroom demonstrations have also been tested with non-science majors. Extensive supporting materials for the project have been developed on the world wide web. These include a radio astronomy tutorial, hardware and software information about both telescopes and project descriptions. We also provide curriculum suggestions to aid faculty incorporate radio astronomy into their courses.

  11. Paucity of qualitative research in general medical and health services and policy research journals: analysis of publication rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagliardi, Anna R; Dobrow, Mark J

    2011-10-12

    Qualitative research has the potential to inform and improve health care decisions but a study based on one year of publications suggests that it is not published in prominent health care journals. A more detailed, longitudinal analysis of its availability is needed. The purpose of this study was to identify, count and compare the number of qualitative and non-qualitative research studies published in high impact health care journals, and explore trends in these data over the last decade. A bibliometric approach was used to identify and quantify qualitative articles published in 20 top general medical and health services and policy research journals from 1999 to 2008. Eligible journals were selected based on performance in four different ranking systems reported in the 2008 ISI Journal Citation Reports. Qualitative and non-qualitative research published in these journals were identified by searching MEDLINE, and validated by hand-searching tables of contents for four journals. The total number of qualitative research articles published during 1999 to 2008 in ten general medical journals ranged from 0 to 41, and in ten health services and policy research journals from 0 to 39. Over this period the percentage of empirical research articles that were qualitative ranged from 0% to 0.6% for the general medical journals, and 0% to 6.4% for the health services and policy research journals. This analysis suggests that qualitative research it is rarely published in high impact general medical and health services and policy research journals. The factors that contribute to this persistent marginalization need to be better understood.

  12. PRIME: An Integrated and Sustainable Undergraduate International Research Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arzberger, Peter; Wienhausen, Gabriele; Abramson, David; Galvin, Jim; Date, Susumu; Lin, Fang-Pang; Nan, Kai; Shimojo, Shinji

    2010-01-01

    Recently we have seen an increase in the calls for universities and the education community to re-think undergraduate education and create opportunities that prepare students as effective global professionals. The key motivator is the need to build a research and industrial workforce that works collaboratively across cultures and disciplines to…

  13. URSSA, the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment: A Tool for Assessing Student Outcomes of Undergraduate Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laursen, S. L.; Hunter, A.; Weston, T.; Thiry, H.

    2009-12-01

    Evidence-based thinking is essential both to science and to the development of effective educational programs. Thus assessment of student learning—gathering evidence about the nature and depth of students’ learning gains, and about how they arise—is a centerpiece of any effective undergraduate research (UR) program. Assessment data can be used to monitor progress, to diagnose problems, to strengthen program designs, and to report both good outcomes and strategies to improve them to institutional and financial stakeholders in UR programs. While the positive impact of UR on students’ educational, personal and professional development has long been a matter of faith, only recently have researchers and evaluators developed an empirical basis by which to identify and explain these outcomes. Based on this growing body of evidence, URSSA, the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment, is a survey tool that departments and programs can use to assess student outcomes of UR. URSSA focuses on what students learn from their UR experience, rather than whether they liked it. Both multiple-choice and open-ended items focus on students’ gains from UR, including: (1) skills such as lab work and communication; (2) conceptual knowledge and linkages among ideas in their field and with other fields; (3) deepened understanding of the intellectual and practical work of science; (4) growth in confidence and adoption of the identity of scientist; (5) preparation for a career or graduate school in science; and (6) greater clarity in understanding what career or educational path they might wish to pursue. Other items probe students’ participation in important activities that have been shown to lead to these gains; and a set of optional items can be included to probe specific program features that may supplement UR (e.g. field trips, career seminars, housing arrangements). The poster will describe URSSA's content, development, validation, and use. For more information about

  14. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    disciplines. The journal welcomes original research papers, reviews and case reports on current topics of special ... software to allow authors track the changes to their submission. All manuscripts must ... and Drug Development, University .... Table 2: Knowledge of emergency contraception methods among the study group.

  15. Global Journal of Engineering Research: Editorial Policies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Focus and Scope. The Global Journal of Engineering Research is aimed at promoting research in all areas of Engineering Research including Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Chemical, Electronics, Geological etc. Section Policies. Articles. Checked Open Submissions, Checked Indexed, Checked Peer Reviewed. Publication ...

  16. Mexican journals of educational research towards mainstream dissemination of science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cabrera-Flores, Mayer

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to analyze the Electronic Journal of Educational Research (REDIE on its path towards the common manner of scientific dissemination. This research presents the evolution of Mexican policy with regards to the journals, the situation of the Educational Research Mexican journals, and its profundity relating to REDIE. In its evolution, there were three moments that stood out the most: the standardization of quality criteria, the digitalization and open access of the scientific journals, those that came together with REDIE like REDALYC and LATINDEX , and the individual initiatives of those journals that motivated the development of the scientific dissemination in Mexico. The investigation concludes with the realization of the necessity of achieving agreement on the efforts of various principal actors: governmental bodies, institutions, and academic communities.

  17. Paucity of qualitative research in general medical and health services and policy research journals: analysis of publication rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background Qualitative research has the potential to inform and improve health care decisions but a study based on one year of publications suggests that it is not published in prominent health care journals. A more detailed, longitudinal analysis of its availability is needed. The purpose of this study was to identify, count and compare the number of qualitative and non-qualitative research studies published in high impact health care journals, and explore trends in these data over the last decade. Methods A bibliometric approach was used to identify and quantify qualitative articles published in 20 top general medical and health services and policy research journals from 1999 to 2008. Eligible journals were selected based on performance in four different ranking systems reported in the 2008 ISI Journal Citation Reports. Qualitative and non-qualitative research published in these journals were identified by searching MEDLINE, and validated by hand-searching tables of contents for four journals. Results The total number of qualitative research articles published during 1999 to 2008 in ten general medical journals ranged from 0 to 41, and in ten health services and policy research journals from 0 to 39. Over this period the percentage of empirical research articles that were qualitative ranged from 0% to 0.6% for the general medical journals, and 0% to 6.4% for the health services and policy research journals. Conclusions This analysis suggests that qualitative research it is rarely published in high impact general medical and health services and policy research journals. The factors that contribute to this persistent marginalization need to be better understood. PMID:21992238

  18. International Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The International Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research (IJMBR) is a peer-reviewed ... useful to researchers in all aspects of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences including Anatomical Sciences, Biochemistry, Dentistry, Genetics, ...

  19. Global research engagement by undergraduates and its impact: Laser metal deposition studies in us - South Africa collaboration

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Kumpaty, S

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the follow-up work of research conducted by Milwaukee School of Engineering senior undergraduate students in South Africa under the second year of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates grant EEC-1460183 sponsored...

  20. Lessons Learned from Introducing Social Media Use in Undergraduate Economics Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Martin; Freund, Katarina

    2018-01-01

    The research process and associated literacy requirements are often unfamiliar and daunting obstacles for undergraduate students. The use of social media has the potential to assist research training and encourage active learning, social inclusion and student engagement. This paper documents the lessons learned from developing a blended learning…

  1. A primer for undergraduate research from groups and tiles to frames and vaccines

    CERN Document Server

    Peterson, Valerie; Lee, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    This highly readable book aims to ease the many challenges of starting undergraduate research. It accomplishes this by presenting a diverse series of self-contained, accessible articles which include specific open problems and prepare the reader to tackle them with ample background material and references. Each article also contains a carefully selected bibliography for further reading. The content spans the breadth of mathematics, including many topics that are not normally addressed by the undergraduate curriculum (such as matroid theory, mathematical biology, and operations research), yet have few enough prerequisites that the interested student can start exploring them under the guidance of a faculty member. Whether trying to start an undergraduate thesis, embarking on a summer REU, or preparing for graduate school, this book is appropriate for a variety of students and the faculty who guide them. .

  2. International Journal of Community Research http://www.arpjournals ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2014-10-31

    Oct 31, 2014 ... International Journal of Community Research ... Analysis was by narrative synthesis and meta-analysis. Results showed that five ..... and Therapy) was carried out electronically on the journals' websites. Study Selection and Eligibility: Potentially relevant titles, citations and abstracts were screened following.

  3. Quiz gaming competitions for undergraduate medical students ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Quiz gaming competitions for undergraduate medical students: Questioning the MediQuiz. ... an audience Studies have shown that such quiz games promote active learning, and provide motivational impetus. ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  4. Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    MHRL

    This prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital,. Ilorin, to .... in the study, age under 15 years, American Society of .... well-being to the anaesthetist, while 30.8% felt he ... Journal of Asian Scientific Research. 3:775-85. Chew ST ... a qualitative research synthesis.

  5. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    2009-06-06

    Jun 6, 2009 ... disciplines (including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, biotechnology, cell and molecular biology, and related engineering fields). ... International Journal of Health Research, June 2009; 2(2): 195-199 (e2213p91-95) ... were measured in the diabetic and non-diabetic rats. .... People with Type 2 diabetes are at.

  6. The role of qualitative research in psychological journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kidd, Sean A

    2002-03-01

    The acceptance of qualitative research in 15 journals published and distributed by the American Psychological Association (APA) was investigated. This investigation included a PsycINFO search using the keyword qualitative, an analysis of 15 APA journals for frequency of qualitative publication, a content analysis of the journal descriptions, and the results of qualitative interviews with 10 of the chief editors of those journals. The results indicate that there exists a substantial amount of interest in the potential contribution of qualitative methods in major psychological journals, although this interest is not ubiquitous, well defined, or communicated. These findings highlight the need for APA to state its position regarding the applicability of qualitative methods in the study of psychology.

  7. Perception, awareness and practice of research-oriented medical education among undergraduate students of a medical college in Kolkata, West Bengal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatterjee, Subhankar; Adhikari, Anjan; Haldar, Dibakar; Biswas, Payel

    2016-01-01

    The addition of research-oriented medical education (ROME) to the existing curriculum could promote logical thinking, rapid literature search and a better understanding of research methodology. Creation of research temperament could lead to innovations in healthcare. We assessed the perception, awareness and practice of ROME among undergraduate students. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 234 students of R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata selected by the simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a pre-designed, pre-tested, validated questionnaire by direct interviews. The mean (SD) perception score was 44.2 (5.03). Students from outside West Bengal (p=0.05), women (p=0.03) and students whose parents were doctors (p=0.01) had significantly higher scores. Students in the second and fourth semesters had a better perception than those in the sixth and eighth semesters. Awareness of research fellowships granted to undergraduate students such as the Indian Council of Medical Research-Short-term studentship (ICMR-STS) was low among the second semester students (13.9%), but more than half (59.3%) of the students in the eighth semester were aware (difference across semesters, pAwareness about journals, conferences and 'research bodies promoting student research' was low. Students in the senior semesters spent more time on research (6th semester 72.2% and 8th semester 88.9%) than those in the junior semesters (2nd: 66.7% and 4th: 77.8%; difference across semesters, p=0.03). About 3% of students participated in extracurricular research and/or had presented work at a conference. There is a good perception about the need for research but a lack of awareness of the why and how, as well as hardly any practice of ROME among medical students of this medical college.

  8. Lessons in collaboration and effective field research from the Appalachian Headwaters Research Experience for Undergraduates Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, A. L.; Fox, J.; Wilder, M. S.

    2009-12-01

    In the summer of 2009, the authors launched year one of a three-year National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates entitled "Carbon Storage and Headwater Health in the Appalachian Headwaters." Eight undergraduates selected from a nationally competitive field of more than 60 applicants participated in the ten-week field- and laboratory-based program along with three middle- and high-school teachers. Each student developed and completed an independent research project related to coal mining’s impact on soil organic carbon and sediment transport processes. Specifically, they used isotope ratio mass spectrometry to measure the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic signature of soils and sediments in the Appalachian headwater landscapes and first order streams of Kentucky's southeastern coalfields. Among the program's innovative features was its fundamentally collaborative nature--which was represented in several ways. First, the background of the three program leaders was very different: an environmental planner with an academic background in land use planning and administration (Jones); a civil engineer trained in biogeochemistry and watershed modeling (Fox); and an environmental educator experienced in both formal and nonformal educator training and certification (Wilder). The program was also a collaboration between a Carnegie 1 research-oriented institution and an undergraduate/ teaching -focused regional comprehensive university. Finally, the participants themselves represented a diversity of disciplines and institutional backgrounds--including biology, geology, chemistry, environmental science and civil engineering. The Research Experience for Teachers component was another innovative program element. The teachers participated in all field and laboratory research activities during the first six weeks, then developed a unit of study for their own classrooms to be implemented during the current school year. In addition to the six

  9. A broadly implementable research course in phage discovery and genomics for first-year undergraduate students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordan, Tuajuanda C; Burnett, Sandra H; Carson, Susan; Caruso, Steven M; Clase, Kari; DeJong, Randall J; Dennehy, John J; Denver, Dee R; Dunbar, David; Elgin, Sarah C R; Findley, Ann M; Gissendanner, Chris R; Golebiewska, Urszula P; Guild, Nancy; Hartzog, Grant A; Grillo, Wendy H; Hollowell, Gail P; Hughes, Lee E; Johnson, Allison; King, Rodney A; Lewis, Lynn O; Li, Wei; Rosenzweig, Frank; Rubin, Michael R; Saha, Margaret S; Sandoz, James; Shaffer, Christopher D; Taylor, Barbara; Temple, Louise; Vazquez, Edwin; Ware, Vassie C; Barker, Lucia P; Bradley, Kevin W; Jacobs-Sera, Deborah; Pope, Welkin H; Russell, Daniel A; Cresawn, Steven G; Lopatto, David; Bailey, Cheryl P; Hatfull, Graham F

    2014-02-04

    Engaging large numbers of undergraduates in authentic scientific discovery is desirable but difficult to achieve. We have developed a general model in which faculty and teaching assistants from diverse academic institutions are trained to teach a research course for first-year undergraduate students focused on bacteriophage discovery and genomics. The course is situated within a broader scientific context aimed at understanding viral diversity, such that faculty and students are collaborators with established researchers in the field. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) course has been widely implemented and has been taken by over 4,800 students at 73 institutions. We show here that this alliance-sourced model not only substantially advances the field of phage genomics but also stimulates students' interest in science, positively influences academic achievement, and enhances persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Broad application of this model by integrating other research areas with large numbers of early-career undergraduate students has the potential to be transformative in science education and research training. Engagement of undergraduate students in scientific research at early stages in their careers presents an opportunity to excite students about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and promote continued interests in these areas. Many excellent course-based undergraduate research experiences have been developed, but scaling these to a broader impact with larger numbers of students is challenging. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance Phage Hunting Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program takes advantage of the huge size and diversity of the bacteriophage population to engage students in discovery of new viruses, genome

  10. International Journal of Health Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    The journal welcomes original research papers, reviews and case reports on current topics of special ... demand in the market. .... Phase solubility studies showed the effect of three CD .... can be easily scaled up to the industrial level ... the drug caused by kneading process and ... Influence of cyclodextrins and chitosan on.

  11. Special issue call for papers from Business Systems Research Journal

    OpenAIRE

    Pejić Bach, Mirjana

    2011-01-01

    A special issue oft he Business Systems Research Journal with extended versions of selected papers from the 11th International Symposium on Operations Research in Slovenia (SOR’11) will be published under the journal ‘s publishing standards.

  12. Factors affecting the number and type of student research products for chemistry and physics students at primarily undergraduate institutions: A case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mellis, Birgit; Soto, Patricia; Bruce, Chrystal D; Lacueva, Graciela; Wilson, Anne M; Jayasekare, Rasitha

    2018-01-01

    For undergraduate students, involvement in authentic research represents scholarship that is consistent with disciplinary quality standards and provides an integrative learning experience. In conjunction with performing research, the communication of the results via presentations or publications is a measure of the level of scientific engagement. The empirical study presented here uses generalized linear mixed models with hierarchical bootstrapping to examine the factors that impact the means of dissemination of undergraduate research results. Focusing on the research experiences in physics and chemistry of undergraduates at four Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) from 2004-2013, statistical analysis indicates that the gender of the student does not impact the number and type of research products. However, in chemistry, the rank of the faculty advisor and the venue of the presentation do impact the number of research products by undergraduate student, whereas in physics, gender match between student and advisor has an effect on the number of undergraduate research products. This study provides a baseline for future studies of discipline-based bibliometrics and factors that affect the number of research products of undergraduate students.

  13. Factors affecting the number and type of student research products for chemistry and physics students at primarily undergraduate institutions: A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto, Patricia; Bruce, Chrystal D.; Lacueva, Graciela; Wilson, Anne M.; Jayasekare, Rasitha

    2018-01-01

    For undergraduate students, involvement in authentic research represents scholarship that is consistent with disciplinary quality standards and provides an integrative learning experience. In conjunction with performing research, the communication of the results via presentations or publications is a measure of the level of scientific engagement. The empirical study presented here uses generalized linear mixed models with hierarchical bootstrapping to examine the factors that impact the means of dissemination of undergraduate research results. Focusing on the research experiences in physics and chemistry of undergraduates at four Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) from 2004–2013, statistical analysis indicates that the gender of the student does not impact the number and type of research products. However, in chemistry, the rank of the faculty advisor and the venue of the presentation do impact the number of research products by undergraduate student, whereas in physics, gender match between student and advisor has an effect on the number of undergraduate research products. This study provides a baseline for future studies of discipline-based bibliometrics and factors that affect the number of research products of undergraduate students. PMID:29698502

  14. Using local research sites to engage undergraduates in environmental science research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varner, R. K.

    2016-12-01

    For the first time in their undergraduate experience, students in the University of New Hampshire's Techniques in Environmental Science course are immersed in learning approaches to scientific investigation that they can implement as part of their senior capstone research experience or other REU type programs. The course begins with an understanding of the value of note taking in the field and working collaboratively in groups. The students then embark upon a series of field experiences that include using both simple and complex tools for mapping elevation, species composition and above ground biomass estimates in a forest and wetland, carbon cycling through measurement of greenhouse gas exchange at both a wetland and at an organic dairy farm, assessing hydrology and water quality through both ground and surface water measurements at locations on campus, and finally analysis of atmospheric chemistry data collected locally. Over the course of a semester the students learn how to describe their methodology and the importance of their work concisely. Eventually the students are given instrumentation and a field site and learn to ask their own research question and develop their approach to answering it. This course model provides a foundation for students to pursue their capstone research experiences but also for understanding complex environmental questions such as the impact of land use change on water and air quality and carbon cycling and its role in our climate system. Students are provided a unique opportunity to address questions at field sites that are local and are part of larger research programs which allows for a larger context to place their work. This course has also been a framework for the NSF funded REU program- Northern Ecosystems Research for Undergraduates (EAR#1063037). Sallie's Fen, a wetland research site, is used as an initial field setting for students to learn techniques, build their ability to ask research questions and to plan research

  15. A review of accounting research in internationalising journals in the South African region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charl J. de Villiers

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: This study analyses the accounting research articles published by South African journals. Aim and setting: A review of accounting research in internationalising journals in the South African region that publish accounting research. Methods: The characteristics of accounting articles were analysed. Five journals were analysed, including the four internationalising journals, Investment Analysts Journal, Meditari Accountancy Research, South African Journal of Business Management, and South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences and one local journal, South African Journal of Accounting Research (SAJAR. Results: The findings of this study will be of interest to journal editors, authors who would like their research to make an impact and be cited, as well as university research administrators and government higher education policy-makers. Conclusion: The analyses show that many of the highly cited articles have been published recently, boding well for the citation statistics of these journals in future and indicating some success in their efforts to internationalise. The citations of SAJAR lag behind the citations of the internationalising journals. Each journal publishes articles that cover different subject area(s. Within accounting research, accounting education and social and environmental accounting are popular areas of research, whereas taxation; the public sector; and management accounting are not well represented among published articles during 2015–2016 in these five journals. About half of all accounting articles claim their insights will contribute to the accounting literature, with much smaller percentages claiming to contribute to management, policy-making and practice. The most prolific authors and most prominent universities to some extent follow the most popular subject areas, with a social and environmental researcher, Warren Maroun, featuring strongly, and his university, the University of the

  16. Fostering Sustained Learning among Undergraduate Students: Emerging Research and Opportunities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chemosit, Caroline; Rugutt, John; Rugutt, Joseph K.

    2017-01-01

    Keeping students engaged and receptive to learning can, at times, be a challenge. However, by the implementation of new methods and pedagogies, instructors can strengthen the drive to learn among their students. "Fostering Sustained Learning Among Undergraduate Students: Emerging Research and Opportunities" is an essential publication…

  17. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research: Submissions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research is an international Open Access ... drug events, medical and other life sciences, and related engineering fields). ... Studies on synthesis of new compounds should only be considered if they ...

  18. A program for undergraduate research into the mechanisms of sensory coding and memory decay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Calin-Jageman, R J

    2010-09-28

    This is the final technical report for this DOE project, entitltled "A program for undergraduate research into the mechanisms of sensory coding and memory decay". The report summarizes progress on the three research aims: 1) to identify phyisological and genetic correlates of long-term habituation, 2) to understand mechanisms of olfactory coding, and 3) to foster a world-class undergraduate neuroscience program. Progress on the first aim has enabled comparison of learning-regulated transcripts across closely related learning paradigms and species, and results suggest that only a small core of transcripts serve truly general roles in long-term memory. Progress on the second aim has enabled testing of several mutant phenotypes for olfactory behaviors, and results show that responses are not fully consistent with the combinitoral coding hypothesis. Finally, 14 undergraduate students participated in this research, the neuroscience program attracted extramural funding, and we completed a successful summer program to enhance transitions for community-college students into 4-year colleges to persue STEM fields.

  19. NREL Senior Research Fellow Honored by The Journal of Physical Chemistry |

    Science.gov (United States)

    News | NREL 7 » NREL Senior Research Fellow Honored by The Journal of Physical Chemistry News Release: NREL Senior Research Fellow Honored by The Journal of Physical Chemistry January 10, 2007 The Journal of Physical Chemistry B. The Dec. 21 issue was titled The Arthur J. Nozik Festschrift (Volume 110

  20. Plotting a Course to Spark Scholastic Journalism Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Jane Willoughby

    1991-01-01

    Discusses a survey of members of the Secondary Education Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Explains that respondents ranked certification and preparation of journalism teachers and advisers and the legal and ethical issues of the student press as the most important research topics. (SG)

  1. Teaching Global Change in Local Places: The HERO Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yarnal, Brent; Neff, Rob

    2007-01-01

    The Human-Environment Research Observatory (HERO) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program aimed to develop the next generation of researchers working on place-based human-environment problems. The program followed a cooperative learning model to foster an integrated approach to geographic research and to build collaborative research…

  2. Journal of Civil Engineering Research and Practice

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Journal of Civil Engineering Research and Practice aims to publish original research papers of high standard, containing material of significant contribution to civil engineering, with emphasis being placed on material that is applicable to the solution of practical problems.

  3. Distributions of Journal Citations in Small Collections of Reading Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayes, Bea

    The distribution of reading-research citations was investigated in three populations of journals. The rule of Pareto-like distribution was confirmed as appropriate for determining the number of journals that would contribute half the citations in populations of 26 to 112 journals. In populations of 42 to 112 journals, 24% to 29% of the…

  4. Evaluating the Development of Chemistry Undergraduate Researchers' Scientific Thinking Skills Using Performance-Data: First Findings from the Performance Assessment of Undergraduate Research (PURE) Instrument

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harsh, Joseph; Esteb, John J.; Maltese, Adam V.

    2017-01-01

    National calls in science, technology, engineering, and technology education reform efforts have advanced the wide-scale engagement of students in undergraduate research for the preparation of a workforce and citizenry able to attend to the challenges of the 21st century. Awareness of the potential benefits and costs of these experiences has led…

  5. The Python Project: A Unique Model for Extending Research Opportunities to Undergraduate Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, Pamela A.; Wall, Christopher; Luckey, Stephen W.; Langer, Stephen; Leinwand, Leslie A.

    2014-01-01

    Undergraduate science education curricula are traditionally composed of didactic instruction with a small number of laboratory courses that provide introductory training in research techniques. Research on learning methodologies suggests this model is relatively ineffective, whereas participation in independent research projects promotes enhanced…

  6. Undergraduate Biocuration: Developing Tomorrow’s Researchers While Mining Today’s Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Cassie S.; Cates, Ashlyn; Kim, Renaid B.; Hollinger, Sabrina K.

    2015-01-01

    Biocuration is a time-intensive process that involves extraction, transcription, and organization of biological or clinical data from disjointed data sets into a user-friendly database. Curated data is subsequently used primarily for text mining or informatics analysis (bioinformatics, neuroinformatics, health informatics, etc.) and secondarily as a researcher resource. Biocuration is traditionally considered a Ph.D. level task, but a massive shortage of curators to consolidate the ever-mounting biomedical “big data” opens the possibility of utilizing biocuration as a means to mine today’s data while teaching students skill sets they can utilize in any career. By developing a biocuration assembly line of simplified and compartmentalized tasks, we have enabled biocuration to be effectively performed by a hierarchy of undergraduate students. We summarize the necessary physical resources, process for establishing a data path, biocuration workflow, and undergraduate hierarchy of curation, technical, information technology (IT), quality control and managerial positions. We detail the undergraduate application and training processes and give detailed job descriptions for each position on the assembly line. We present case studies of neuropathology curation performed entirely by undergraduates, namely the construction of experimental databases of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) transgenic mouse models and clinical data from ALS patient records. Our results reveal undergraduate biocuration is scalable for a group of 8–50+ with relatively minimal required resources. Moreover, with average accuracy rates greater than 98.8%, undergraduate biocurators are equivalently accurate to their professional counterparts. Initial training to be completely proficient at the entry-level takes about five weeks with a minimal student time commitment of four hours/week. PMID:26557796

  7. [Qualitative research: which priority for scientific journals?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodella, Stefania

    2016-04-01

    Quantitative and qualitative approaches in scientific research should not be looked at as separate or even opposed fields of thinking and action, but could rather offer complementary perspectives in order to build appropriate answers to increasingly complex research questions. An open letter recently published by the BMJ and signed by 76 senior academics from 11 countries invite the editors to reconsider their policy of rejecting qualitative research on the grounds of low priority and challenge the journal to develop a proactive, scholarly and pluralistic approach to research that aligns with its stated mission. The contents of the letter, the many voices raised by almost fifty rapid responses and the severe but not closed responses of the editors outline a stimulating debate and hopefully prelude some "change in emphasis", ensuring that all types of research relevant to the mission of the BMJ (as well as other core journals) are considered for publication and providing an evolving landmark for scientific and educational purposes.

  8. Integrating undergraduate research into the electro-optics and laser engineering technology program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Andrew F.

    2014-07-01

    Bringing research into an undergraduate curriculum is a proven and powerful practice with many educational benefits to students and the professional rewards to faculty mentors. In recent years, undergraduate research has gained national prominence as an effective problem-based learning strategy. Developing and sustaining a vibrant undergraduate research program of high quality and productivity is an outstanding example of the problem-based learning. To foster student understanding of the content learned in the classroom and nurture enduring problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities, we have created a collaborative learning environment by building research into the Electro-Optics curriculum for the first- and second-year students. The teaching methodology is described and examples of the research projects are given. Such a research-integrated curriculum effectively enhances student learning and critical thinking skills, and strengthens the research culture for the first- and second-year students.

  9. The Journalism Agenda Guide (JAG: Proposal for Applied Research in Journalism (ARJ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josenildo Luiz Guerra

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article proposes the Journalism Agenda Guide (JAG, a technical tool for managing journalistic content. Developed from an Applied Research in Journalism (ARJ methodology, the Guide is based on articulating concepts of Agenda Setting, Journalistic Relevance (JR, organizational productivity and Semantic Resolution (SR. The basis of the Guide is the relation between the relevance of a theme and how much space it should occupy in the news, subject to a particular organization’s production capacity. Incorporating the Guide as a tool for editorial management means adopting practices of accountability which affect both the ethical conduct an organization and its professionals adhere to and the sustainability of companies, becoming an important ally in the efforts to consolidate the credibility in journalism.

  10. Trends and new challenges in journalism research in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sônia Virgínia Moreira

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available The first part of this article is a cross section analysis of Brazilian communication research produced by postgraduate level (doctor and master programs of the Journalism Department, School of Communication and Art (ECA of the São Paulo State University (USP, Brazil, between 1989 and the beginning of 2004. ECA/USP is one of the most ancient and in infuential school of journalism inBrazil. An analysis of its production may reveal an illustration of journalism research in the country. In the first three decades of ECA’s existence, the field of journalism studies accounted for around 22% of the School’s production of theses and dissertations. The second part of the article presents some data – mostly quantitative and partially qualitative – based on a content analysis of the journal Revista Brasileira de Ciências da Comunicação. The period considered ranges from January 2000 to December 2004 (five years, ten issues.

  11. "Hands-On" Undergraduate Research Opportunities in the Life Sciences: Preparing the Next Generation of Biological Researchers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Denson, Nida; Kerfeld, Cheryl A.

    2004-01-01

    Over the past decade, a number of scholars have publicly criticized large research universities for failing to provide undergraduate students with the skills and abilities needed to succeed both in life and in the workforce. At the heart of this criticism is the concern that research institutions have de-emphasized teaching by increasing the size…

  12. Undergraduate Research-Methods Training in Political Science: A Comparative Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Jonathan

    2010-01-01

    Unlike other disciplines in the social sciences, there has been relatively little attention paid to the structure of the undergraduate political science curriculum. This article reports the results of a representative survey of 200 political science programs in the United States, examining requirements for quantitative methods, research methods,…

  13. Disability research in counseling psychology journals: a 20-year content analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Lee, Sharon

    2012-07-01

    We conducted an exploratory content analysis of disability research in 5 major counseling psychology journals between 1990 and 2010. The goal was to review the counseling psychology literature to better understand the prevalence of disability research, identify research methods most often conducted, and elucidate the types of concerns most studied. We searched 5 journals (Journal of Counseling & Development, Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, and Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology) using keywords derived from disability terms defined by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). Articles were categorized by methodology and disability category examined. We found that disability research continues to comprise an extremely small amount (from less than 1% to 2.7%) of the counseling psychology literature, with the frequency of articles plateauing in recent years. The research design of articles published has changed, with an increased number of empirical articles and a decrease in literature reviews. We conclude by calling for increased empirical investigation of disability among journals specific to counseling psychology to recognize disability as an important aspect of diversity within the field.

  14. Research productivity in select psychology journals, 1986-2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahoney, Kevin T; Buboltz, Walter C; Calvert, Barbara; Hoffmann, Rebecca

    2010-01-01

    Examination of research productivity has a long history in psychology. Journals across psychology have periodically published research-productivity studies. An analysis of institutional research productivity was conducted for 17 journals published by the American Psychological Association for the years 1986-2008. This analysis implemented two methodologies: one a replication and extension of G. S. Howard, D. A. Cole, and S. E. Maxwell's (1987) method, the other a new method designed to give credit to psychology departments rather than only overall institutions. A system of proportional credit assured all articles with multiple institutions received credit. Results show that for the 23-year period, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was ranked 1st, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Overall, results showed both consistency and change across all journals examined. The authors explore the implications of these findings in the context of the current academic environment.

  15. Defining Quality in Undergraduate Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alison W. Bowers

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: This research brief explores the literature addressing quality in undergraduate education to identify what previous research has said about quality and to offer future directions for research on quality in undergraduate education. Method: We conducted a scoping review to provide a broad overview of existing research. Using targeted search terms in academic databases, we identified and reviewed relevant academic literature to develop emergent themes and implications for future research. Results: The exploratory review of the literature revealed a range of thoughtful discussions and empirical studies attempting to define quality in undergraduate education. Many publications highlighted the importance of including different stakeholder perspectives and presented some of the varying perceptions of quality among different stakeholders. Conclusions: While a number of researchers have explored and written about how to define quality in undergraduate education, there is not a general consensus regarding a definition of quality in undergraduate education. Past research offers a range of insights, models, and data to inform future research. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: We provide four recommendations for future research to contribute to a high quality undergraduate educational experience. We suggest more comprehensive systematic reviews of the literature as a next step.

  16. Excursions in classical analysis pathways to advanced problem solving and undergraduate research

    CERN Document Server

    Chen, Hongwei

    2010-01-01

    Excursions in Classical Analysis introduces undergraduate students to advanced problem solving and undergraduate research in two ways. Firstly, it provides a colourful tour of classical analysis which places a wide variety of problems in their historical context. Secondly, it helps students gain an understanding of mathematical discovery and proof. In demonstrating a variety of possible solutions to the same sample exercise, the reader will come to see how the connections between apparently inapplicable areas of mathematics can be exploited in problem-solving. This book will serve as excellent preparation for participation in mathematics competitions, as a valuable resource for undergraduate mathematics reading courses and seminars and as a supplement text in a course on analysis. It can also be used in independent study, since the chapters are free-standing.

  17. A new model in teaching undergraduate research: A collaborative approach and learning cooperatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neal, Pamela V; McClellan, Lynx Carlton; Jarosinski, Judith M

    2016-05-01

    Forming new, innovative collaborative approaches and cooperative learning methods between universities and hospitals maximize learning for undergraduate nursing students in a research course and provide professional development for nurses on the unit. The purpose of this Collaborative Approach and Learning Cooperatives (CALC) Model is to foster working relations between faculty and hospital administrators, maximize small group learning of undergraduate nursing students, and promote onsite knowledge of evidence based care for unit nurses. A quality improvement study using the CALC Model was implemented in an undergraduate nursing research course at a southern university. Hospital administrators provided a list of clinical concerns based on national performance outcome measures. Undergraduate junior nursing student teams chose a clinical question, gathered evidence from the literature, synthesized results, demonstrated practice application, and developed practice recommendations. The student teams developed posters, which were evaluated by hospital administrators. The administrators selected several posters to display on hospital units for continuing education opportunity. This CALC Model is a systematic, calculated approach and an economically feasible plan to maximize personnel and financial resources to optimize collaboration and cooperative learning. Universities and hospital administrators, nurses, and students benefit from working together and learning from each other. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Public availability of research data in dentistry journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidal-Infer, Antonio; Tarazona, Beatriz; Alonso-Arroyo, Adolfo; Aleixandre-Benavent, Rafael

    2018-01-01

    Dentistry is a medical discipline with an increasing scientific production in the last years. Due to the importance of data sharing in science, this study aims at analyzing the availability of raw data in articles from scientific journals indexed in the Dentistry category of the 2014 edition of the Journal Citation Reports. A review of the 88 websites of journals from the Dentistry category was conducted to determine the data-sharing editorial policies. Furthermore, a search in the PubMed Central repository to collect information about the characteristics of the supplementary material of articles from those journals was carried out. The possibility of publishing a supplementary material was higher in the first quartile journals. A percentage of 7.6% of the articles registered in PubMed Central contained a supplementary material, especially text documents, but the presence of spreadsheets was scarce. There is a relationship between openness policies and the impact of the journals according to their quartile or position ranking by the impact factor in the JCR, but the willingness of sharing raw data in spreadsheets format is still limited. This study will reveal the resources of raw data which will improve quality of research and clinical practice.

  19. Students' perspectives of undergraduate research methods education at three public medical schools in Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munabi, Ian Guyton; Buwembo, William; Joseph, Ruberwa; Peter, Kawungezi; Bajunirwe, Francis; Mwaka, Erisa Sabakaki

    2016-01-01

    In this study we used a model of adult learning to explore undergraduate students' views on how to improve the teaching of research methods and biostatistics. This was a secondary analysis of survey data of 600 undergraduate students from three medical schools in Uganda. The analysis looked at student's responses to an open ended section of a questionnaire on their views on undergraduate teaching of research methods and biostatistics. Qualitative phenomenological data analysis was done with a bias towards principles of adult learning. Students appreciated the importance of learning research methods and biostatistics as a way of understanding research problems; appropriately interpreting statistical concepts during their training and post-qualification practice; and translating the knowledge acquired. Stressful teaching environment and inadequate educational resource materials were identified as impediments to effective learning. Suggestions for improved learning included: early and continuous exposure to the course; more active and practical approach to teaching; and a need for mentorship. The current methods of teaching research methods and biostatistics leave most of the students in the dissonance phase of learning resulting in none or poor student engagement that results in a failure to comprehend and/or appreciate the principles governing the use of different research methods.

  20. Improving biomedical journals' ethical policies: the case of research misconduct.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosch, Xavier

    2014-09-01

    Scientific journals may incur scientific error if articles are tainted by research misconduct. While some journals' ethical policies, especially those on conflicts of interest, have improved over recent years, with some adopting a uniform approach, only around half of biomedical journals, principally those with higher impact factors, currently have formal misconduct policies, mainly for handling allegations. Worryingly, since a response to allegations would reasonably require an a priori definition, far fewer journals have publicly available definitions of misconduct. While some journals and editors' associations have taken significant steps to prevent and detect misconduct and respond to allegations, the content, visibility of and access to these policies varies considerably. In addition, while the lack of misconduct policies may prompt and maintain a de novo approach for journals, potentially causing stress, publication delays and even legal disputes, the lack of uniformity may be a matter of contention for research stakeholders such as editors, authors and their institutions, and publishers. Although each case may need an individual approach, I argue that posting highly visible, readily accessible, comprehensive, consistent misconduct policies could prevent the publication of fraudulent papers, increase the number of retractions of already published papers and, perhaps, reduce research misconduct. Although legally problematic, a concerted approach, with sharing of information between editors, which is clearly explained in journal websites, could also help. Ideally, journals, editors' associations, and publishers should seek consistency and homogenise misconduct policies to maintain public confidence in the integrity of biomedical research publications. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  1. The Importance of Search as Intertextual Practice for Undergraduate Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodemer, Brett B.

    2012-01-01

    By first reassessing the role of search in the literacy event of the lower division undergraduate paper, this article argues that searching is not a lower-order mental activity but a concurrent, integral component of the research-writing process. This conclusion has large implications for information literacy instructional design, and several…

  2. Discursive play in the appropriation of scientific language by undergraduate research chemistry students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana Massi

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we analyze discourses that took place in chemistry research laboratories involving undergraduate research students of a university in the state of São Paulo. The discourses were classified based on the concept of discourse typology, proposed by Eni Orlandi, as: authoritarian (restrained polysemy, polemical (controlled polysemy and ludic (open polysemy. The dialogues between two students and their advisors were taped, transcribed, and analyzed for a year. The analyses indicated that the authoritarian discourse, present in the beginning of the study, was gradatively substituted for the polemic and ludic discourses. This switch suggests the contribution of the undergraduate research in the development of important qualities such as students’ intellectual independence and criticism besides its importance to the learning of chemistry contents.

  3. Toward a Holistic View of Undergraduate Research Experiences: An Exploratory Study of Impact on Graduate/Postdoctoral Mentors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolan, Erin; Johnson, Deborah

    2009-12-01

    Involvement in research has become a fixture in undergraduate science education across the United States. Graduate and postdoctoral students are often called upon to mentor undergraduates at research universities, yet mentoring relationships in undergraduate—graduate/postdoctoral student dyads and undergraduate—graduate/postdoctoral student—faculty triads have been largely unexamined. Here, we present findings of an exploratory case study framed by relational theory that identifies the motives, gains, and challenges reported by graduate/postdoctoral students who mentored undergraduates in research. Graduate/postdoctoral mentors experienced a wide range of gains, including improved qualifications and career preparation, cognitive and socioemotional growth, improved teaching and communication skills, and greater enjoyment of their own apprenticeship experience. Notably, graduate/postdoctoral mentors reported twice as many gains as challenges, neither of which were limited by their motives for mentoring. Indeed, their motives were fairly narrow and immediate, focusing on how mentoring would serve as a means to an end, while the gains and challenges they reported indicated a longer-term vision of how mentoring influenced their personal, cognitive, and professional growth. We propose that understanding the impact of mentoring undergraduates on the education and training of graduate/postdoctoral students may uncover new ideas about the benefits reaped through undergraduate research experiences.

  4. Research Quality Assessment and Planning Journals. The Italian Perspective.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Zanon

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Assessment of research products is a crucial issue for universities and research institutions faced with internationalization and competition. Disciplines are reacting differently to this challenge, and planning, in its various forms – from urban design to process­oriented sectors – is under strain because the increasingly common assessment procedures based on the number of articles published in ranked journals and on citation data are not generally accepted. The reputation of journals, the impact of publications, and the profiles of scholars are increasingly defined by means of indexes such as impact factor and citations counts, but these metrics are questioned because they do not take account of all journals and magazines – in particular those published in languages other than English – and they do not consider teaching and other activities typical of academics and which have a real impact on planning practices at the local level. In Italy the discussion is particularly heated because assessment procedures are recent, the disciplinary community is not used to publishing in ranked international journals, and the Italian literature is not attuned to the international quality criteria. The paper reviews the recent debate on planning journals and research assessment. It focuses on the Italian case from the perspective of improving current practices.

  5. Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research publishes papers in all fields of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences including Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Dental Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biotechnology in relation to Medicine, ...

  6. Undergraduates and Their Use of Social Media: Assessing Influence on Research Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nwangwa, Kanelechi C. K.; Yonlonfoun, Ebun; Omotere, Tope

    2014-01-01

    This research investigates the influence of social media usage on research skills of undergraduates offering Educational Management at six different universities randomly selected from the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. Various studies on the effects of social media on students have concentrated mainly on academic performance (Kirschner &…

  7. Exploring the Research Mindset and Information-Seeking Behaviors of Undergraduate Music Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Joe C.; Johnstone, Jennifer

    2018-01-01

    This article examines the mindset and process of undergraduate music majors conducting research in their discipline. While working with students in a writing-intensive music history class, the authors conducted several surveys, focus groups, and task-based assessments. Results indicated that most were overconfident in their research abilities,…

  8. Race and Research Methods Anxiety in an Undergraduate Sample: The Potential Effects of Self-Perception

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckberg, Deborah A.

    2015-01-01

    This study explores race as a potential predictor of research methods anxiety among a sample of undergraduates. While differences in academic achievement based on race and ethnicity have been well documented, few studies have examined racial differences in anxiety with regard to specific subject matter in undergraduate curricula. This exploratory…

  9. The use of mixed methods research in interdisciplinary educational journals

    OpenAIRE

    López-Fernández, Olatz; Molina Azorín, José Francisco

    2011-01-01

    Mixed methods research is becoming increasingly important in several scientific areas. The analysis of prevalence rates is a new line of research that has emerged in mixed methods research, and this methodological approach has only been applied carefully in a handful of journals. The purpose of this article was to analyse the prevalence of mixed methods research in interdisciplinary educational journals. Moreover, the main characteristics of the mixed methods articles identified were examined...

  10. Awareness and Awakening: A Narrative-Oriented Inquiry of Undergraduate Students' Development of Mindful Agency in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qing; Law, Ho Chung; Li, Yan; Xu, Zhanfei; Pang, Weiguo

    2017-01-01

    The article explores undergraduate students' experiences of developing mindful agency as a positive learning disposition, their perceived change as a learner, and the possible impact of mindful agency coaching on students' learning and personal growth, using a narrative research method. Seventy Chinese undergraduate students generated personal reflective journals and eight participants' journals were selected to enter into the narrative-oriented inquiry. Our analysis revealed a number of primary themes based on which we produced a meta-story. The supplements of the story were exacted for further critical cross-case discussion. The finding indicated that the multifaceted development of mindful agency involved learning methods, emotional regulation, strategic thinking, and awareness of planning, openness to experience, self-acceptance and self-esteem, and learning engagement, with enhanced sense of personal awareness and awakening. The coaching was supportive for students to foster positive self-identities and become more reflective, mindful, and self-determined.

  11. Use of research in undergraduate nursing students' theses: A mixed methods study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordsteien, Anita; Horntvedt, May-Elin T; Syse, Jonn

    2017-09-01

    Health care personnel are expected to be familiar with evidence-based practice (EBP). Asking clinical questions, conducting systematic literature searches and conducting critical appraisal of research findings have been some of the barriers to EBP. To improve undergraduate nurses' research skills, a collaborative library-faculty teaching intervention was established in 2012. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the collaborative library-faculty teaching intervention affected the nursing students' research skills when writing their final theses. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis were used. The study focused on a final year undergraduate nurse training programme in Norway. 194 theses submitted between 2013 and 2015 were collected and assessed. The students were exposed to the intervention for respectively one, two and three years during this period. Descriptive statistics were used to compare each year's output over the three-year period and to examine the frequency of the use of various databases, types of information and EBP-tools. Qualitative data was used to capture the students' reasoning behind their selection processes in their research. The research skills with regard to EBP have clearly improved over the three years. There was an increase in employing most EBP-tools and the justifications were connected to important EBP principles. The grades in the upper half of the grading scale increased from 66.7 to 82.1% over the period 2013 to 2015, and a correlation was found between grades and critical appraisal skills. The collaborative library-faculty teaching intervention employed has been successful in the promotion of nursing student research skills as far as the EBP principles are concerned. Writing a thesis in the undergraduate nursing programme is important to develop and practice these research skills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Educational Technology Research Journals: "International Journal of Technology and Design Education", 2005-2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, James M.; Jones, Brian; Cooper, Jessica Rose; McAllister, Laura; Ware, Mark B.; West, Richard E.

    2015-01-01

    This study examines the trends of the "International Journal of Technology and Design Education" over the past decade (2005-2014). The researchers looked at trends in article topics, research methods, authorship, and article citations by analyzing keyword frequencies, performing word counts of article titles, classifying studies…

  13. Relationship between category size and journals' impact factor: implications for emergency medicine journals and researchers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miró, Òscar; Brown, Anthony F T; Graham, Colin A; Ducharme, James; Martin-Sanchez, Francisco J; Cone, David C

    2015-10-01

    We assessed the relationship between the size of the 39 Journal Citation Reports (JCR) medical categories and impact factor (IF) of journals in these categories, and the implications that it might have for emergency medicine (EM) journals. Using the 2010 JCR database, we calculated the mean IF, 5-year IF (5y-IF), Eigenfactor (EF), and Article Influence (AI) scores including all journals for each category. We also calculated a 'weighted IF' for all journals by dividing each journal IF by the mean IF of its category. We ranked EM journals according to IF and 'weighted IF' into all the journals included in the 39 categories. We assessed the relationship between category size and bibliometric scores by linear regression. Category size varied from 252 journals (Pharmacology and Pharmacy) to 14 (Primary Healthcare), EM category occupying the 36th position (23 journals). The mean IF of EM category ranked in 34th position, 5-yIF in 32nd, EF in 34th, and AI in 34th position. Category size had a direct and significant association with mean IF, 5y-IF, and AI but not with mean EF. When the EM journals were ranked among all the journals according to their IF, only two (9%) were placed into the first quartile and raised up to eight (35%) when 'weighted IF' was considered. There is a negative relationship between JCR size category and IF achieved by the journals. This places EM journals at a clear disadvantage because they represent one of the smallest clinical medical research disciplines.

  14. Bibliometric study (1922-2009) on rugby articles in research journals ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The purpose of this research was to perform a bibliometric analysis of research journals containing scientific articles on the sport of rugby from 1922 to 2009. In this field 2057 articles were selected from major databases. The journals, authors and contents published were selected by taking into account the year of ...

  15. Undergraduate Research in Geoscience with Students from Two-year Colleges: SAGE 2YC Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDaris, J. R.; Hodder, J.; Macdonald, H.; Baer, E. M.; Blodgett, R. H.

    2014-12-01

    Undergraduate research experiences are important for the development of expertise in geoscience disciplines. These experiences have been shown to help students learn content and skills, promote students' cognitive and affective development, and develop students' sense of self. Early exposure to research experiences has shown to be effective in the recruitment of students, improved retention and persistence in degree programs, motivation for students to learn and increase self-efficacy, improved attitudes and values about science, and overall increased student success. Just as departments at four-year institutions (4YCs) are increasingly integrating research into their introductory courses, two-year college (2YC) geoscience faculty have a great opportunity to ground their students in authentic research. The Undergraduate Research with Two-year College Students website developed by SAGE 2YC: Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education at Two-year Colleges provides ideas and advice for 2YC and 4YC faculty who want to get more 2YC students involved in research. The continuum of possibilities for faculty to explore includes things that can be done at 2YCs (eg. doing research as part of a regular course, developing a course specifically around research on a particular topic, or independent study), done in collaboration with other local institutions (eg. using their facilities, conducting joint class research, or using research to support transfer programs), and by involving students in the kind of organized Undergraduate Research programs run by a number of institutions and organizations. The website includes profiles illustrating how 2YC geoscience faculty have tackled these various models of research and addressed potential challenges such as lack of time, space, and funding as part of supporting the wide diversity of students that attend 2YCs, most of whom have less experience than that of rising seniors who are the traditional REU participant. The website also

  16. Mixing Research Methods in Health Professional Degrees: Thoughts for Undergraduate Students and Supervisors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anaf, Sophie; Sheppard, Lorraine A.

    2007-01-01

    This commentary considers some of the challenges of applying mixed methods research in undergraduate research degrees, especially in professions with a clinical health focus. Our experience in physiotherapy academia is used as an example. Mixed methods research is increasingly appreciated in its own right as a "third paradigm," however the success…

  17. Relationship between Students' Scores on Research Methods and Statistics, and Undergraduate Project Scores

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ossai, Peter Agbadobi Uloku

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between students' scores on Research Methods and statistics, and undergraduate project at the final year. The purpose was to find out whether students matched knowledge of research with project-writing skill. The study adopted an expost facto correlational design. Scores on Research Methods and Statistics for…

  18. Development of research paper writing skills of poultry science undergraduate students studying food microbiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Z R; Donalson, L M; Kim, W K; Li, X; Zabala Díaz, I; Landers, K L; Maciorowski, K G; Ricke, S C

    2006-02-01

    Because food and poultry industries are demanding an improvement in written communication skills among graduates, research paper writing should be an integral part of a senior undergraduate class. However, scientific writing assignments are often treated as secondary to developing the technical skills of the students. Scientific research paper writing has been emphasized in an undergraduate course on advanced food microbiology taught in the Poultry Science Department at Texas A& M University (College Station, TX). Students' opinions suggest that research paper writing as part of a senior course in Poultry Science provides students with scientific communication skills and useful training for their career, but more emphasis on reading and understanding scientific literature may be required.

  19. Minority Undergraduate Research in Prostate Cancer: Bridging Opportunities for Post-Baccalaureate Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    Rubrics for the ASBMB Undergraduate Poster Competition 2007 Dr. David Usher (Dept. of Biological Sciences), Tyler Larsen and Laura Sloofman. A good site...did his research on a genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, also known as SMA. "I did research up at the Children’s Hospital because this is a

  20. Will Undergraduate Students Play Games to Learn How to Conduct Library Research?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markey, Karen; Swanson, Fritz; Jenkins, Andrea; Jennings, Brian; St. Jean, Beth; Rosenberg, Victor; Yao, Xingxing; Frost, Robert

    2009-01-01

    This exploratory study examines whether undergraduate students will play games to learn how to conduct library research. Results indicate that students will play games that are an integral component of the course curriculum and enable them to accomplish overall course goals at the same time they learn about library research. (Contains 1 table.)

  1. IT Tools for Teachers and Scientists, Created by Undergraduate Researchers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millar, A. Z.; Perry, S.

    2007-12-01

    Interns in the Southern California Earthquake Center/Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake Information Technology (SCEC/UseIT) program conduct computer science research for the benefit of earthquake scientists and have created products in growing use within the SCEC education and research communities. SCEC/UseIT comprises some twenty undergraduates who combine their varied talents and academic backgrounds to achieve a Grand Challenge that is formulated around needs of SCEC scientists and educators and that reflects the value SCEC places on the integration of computer science and the geosciences. In meeting the challenge, students learn to work on multidisciplinary teams and to tackle complex problems with no guaranteed solutions. Meantime, their efforts bring fresh perspectives and insight to the professionals with whom they collaborate, and consistently produces innovative, useful tools for research and education. The 2007 Grand Challenge was to design and prototype serious games to communicate important earthquake science concepts. Interns broke themselves into four game teams, the Educational Game, the Training Game, the Mitigation Game and the Decision-Making Game, and created four diverse games with topics from elementary plate tectonics to earthquake risk mitigation, with intended players ranging from elementary students to city planners. The games were designed to be versatile, to accommodate variation in the knowledge base of the player; and extensible, to accommodate future additions. The games are played on a web browser or from within SCEC-VDO (Virtual Display of Objects). SCEC-VDO, also engineered by UseIT interns, is a 4D, interactive, visualization software that enables integration and exploration of datasets and models such as faults, earthquake hypocenters and ruptures, digital elevation models, satellite imagery, global isochrons, and earthquake prediction schemes. SCEC-VDO enables the user to create animated movies during a session, and is now part

  2. Methodological Orientation of Research Articles Appearing in Higher Education Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritter, Sherri E.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to understand the methodologies authors in higher education journals used to obtain knowledge in their fields. This study looked at five peer reviewed journals of higher education and analyzed the methods of research employed by the authors to help them answer their respective research questions. The methods of…

  3. Communication Research. Bibliometric analysis of the most-cited ISI-indexed Journals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Almansa-Martínez

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This article examines some of the most common methodological problems in the evaluation of academic journals in the field of communication, based on the content analysis of the ten journals with the highest impact factors in the Social Sciences Citation Index. The analysis focuses on establishing the academic and research origins and links of the authors of the articles published by these scientific publications, as well as the most predominant subject matters, genres and methodologies among the articles of these publications. This research aims to achieve two objectives: On the one hand, to analyse the role of the evaluation of communication journals in the assessment of research, which will allow us to show the difficulties of applying the bibliometric methods used by Thomson Scientific to determine the impact of journals and, on the other hand, to establish a development framework for those Spanish communication journals that meet some of the requirements of the Social Sciences Citation Index but are not yet indexed in it, either because their impact factor is still low or because of their lack of international dissemination. This research has been financed by the University of Malaga’s Research Institute for Public Relations.

  4. An Examination of How Academic Advancement of U.S. Journalism Students Relates to Their Degree Motivations, Values, and Technology Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, Serena; Hoag, Anne; Grant, August E.; Bowe, Brian J.

    2015-01-01

    The newsroom is a powerful influence in a journalist's identity formation. Research has yet to verify the socializing impact of academia. This research utilized the quantitative survey method applying it to undergraduate journalism students (n = 798) to assess how academic status relates to students' degree motivations, life values, and technology…

  5. Librarian involvement in a nutrition undergraduate research course: preparing nutrition students for evidence-based practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Susan C; Penumetcha, Meera

    2010-01-01

    Given the foundational importance of literature searching skills to later stages of research and, ultimately, evidence-based practice, the authors wanted to assess a unique strategy for teaching such skills. This pilot study describes the results of an undergraduate nutrition research course in which a librarian lead several class sessions. The goal of this study was to assess students' perceptions, attitudes and use of research literature and resources before and after a course partially taught by a librarian. Twenty-seven students enrolled in an undergraduate Introduction to Research course at Georgia State University were given pre- and post-test questionnaires at the beginning and end of a course that included three librarian-led class sessions. Most of the results indicate that the repeated involvement of a librarian enriched this particular undergraduate research course. By the end of the course, students were more comfortable in libraries and with using library resources; they used the campus library more frequently; they were more confident in their ability to find high-quality information on nutrition-related topics and identify strengths and weaknesses of different information sources; and they felt they gained skills that will help them achieve their educational and career goals.

  6. How to Strengthen the Connection between Research and Teaching in Undergraduate University Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elsen, Mariken (G.MF.); Visser-Wijnveen, Gerda J.; Van Der Rijst, Roeland M.; Van Driel, Jan H.

    2009-01-01

    This paper explores how to strengthen the research-teaching nexus in university education, in particular, how to improve the relation between policy and practice. The focus is on courses and curricula for undergraduate students. From a review of policy documents and research literature, it appeared that the research-teaching nexus can be shaped…

  7. University of New Mexico Undergraduate Breast Cancer Training Program: Pathway to Research Careers

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Griffith, Jeffrey

    2003-01-01

    We have established a three-phase training program to motivate talented undergraduate students, especially students from under-represented southwester minorities, to pursue careers in breast cancer research...

  8. University of New Mexico Undergraduate Breast Cancer Training Program: Pathway to Research Careers

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Griffith, Jeffrey K

    2005-01-01

    We have established a three-phase training program to motivate talented undergraduate students, especially students from under-represented Southwestern minorities, to pursue careers in breast cancer research...

  9. Educational Technology Research Journals: "International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning," 2006-2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howland, Shiloh M. J.; Martin, M. Troy; Bodily, Robert; Faulconer, Christian; West, Richard E.

    2015-01-01

    The authors analyzed all research articles from the first issue of the "International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning" in 2006 until the second issue of 2014. They determined the research methodologies, most frequently used author-supplied keywords as well as two- and three-word phrases, and most frequently published…

  10. Bibliometric analysis of poison center-related research published in peer-review journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forrester, M B

    2016-07-01

    Poison centers advance knowledge in the field of toxicology through publication in peer-review journals. This investigation describes the pattern of poison center-related publications. Cases were poison center-related research published in peer-review journals during 1995-2014. These were identified through searching the PubMed database, reviewing the tables of contents of selected toxicology journals, and reviewing abstracts of various national and international meetings. The following variables for each publication were identified: year of publication, journal, type of publication (meeting abstract vs. other, i.e. full article or letter to the editor), and the country(ies) of the poison center(s) included in the research. Of the 3147 total publications, 62.1% were meeting abstracts. There were 263 publications in 1995-1999, 536 in 2000-2004, 999 in 2005-2009, and 1349 in 2010-2014. The publications were in 234 different journals. The journals in which the highest number of research was published were Clinical Toxicology (69.7%), Journal of Medical Toxicology (2.2%), and Veterinary and Human Toxicology (2.1%). The research was reported from 62 different countries. The countries with the highest number of publications were the United States (67.9%), United Kingdom (6.5%), Germany (3.9%), France (2.5%), and Italy (2.4%). The number of publications increased greatly over the 20 years. Although the publications were in a large number of journals, a high proportion of the publications were in one journal. While the research came from a large number of countries, the preponderance came from the United States. © The Author(s) 2015.

  11. Relative Significance of Journals, Authors, and Articles Cited in Financial Research.

    OpenAIRE

    Alexander, John C; Mabry, Rodney H

    1994-01-01

    The authors evaluate journals based on their relative contributions to top-level finance research in a recent period. Journals are ranked according to the number of citations found in articles published in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and Review of Financial Studies. The analysis controls for both the average number of articles and average number of words published annually in each cited journal. The authors identify t...

  12. Proceedings of the ninth national conference on undergraduate research, 1995. Volume 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yearout, R.D.

    1995-07-01

    The Ninth National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR 95) was held at Union College in Schenectady, New York. This annual celebration of undergraduate scholarly activity continues to elicit strong nation-wide support and enthusiasm among both students and faculty. Attendance was nearly 1,650, which included 1,213 student oral and poster presenters. For the second year in a row, many student papers had to be rejected for presentation at NCUR due to conference size limitations. Thus, submitted papers for presentation at NCUR 95 were put through a careful review process before acceptance. Those students who have been selected to have their paper appear in these Proceedings have been through yet a second review process. As a consequence, their work has been judged to represent an impressive level of achievement at the undergraduate level. Volume 2 contains papers related to Engineering and Mathematics (41 papers) and Physical Science (18 papers).

  13. Educational Technology Research Journals: "Interactive Learning Environments," 2004-2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, Steven S.; Andrews, Carolyn; Harris, Scott P.; Lloyd, Adam; Turley, Chad; West, Richard E.

    2015-01-01

    This study examined the journal "Interactive Learning Environments" to discover trends from 2004-2013. The authors looked at trends in article topics, research methods, authorship, citations, keyword frequencies, phrase counts of article abstracts, and article citations according to Google Scholar. Evidence is provided of the journal's…

  14. Orthodontic Research Output from Iran in International and National Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badri, Samareh; Akhoundi, Mohammad Sadegh Ahmad; Fard, Mohammad JavadKharrazi; Momeni, Nafiseh; Hedayati, Zohreh; Vakili, Vajihe

    2014-01-01

    Objective: The number of scientific papers is a conventional metric to measure a country’s research performance in a particular area. The aim of this survey was to demonstrate statistical information about orthodontic research published in international and national journals. Materials and Methods: Pubmed as an international and IranMedex and SID as national databases were searched between1997 and 2012. The keyword searching method was used in English and Persian. Abstracts were reviewed and unrelated articles were omitted. Data were obtained and transferred to Microsoft Excel to survey the scintometric indicators. Results: According to the defined criteria, a total of 733 papers were found showing a considerable increase. Five hundred papers (68.2%) were published in domestic journals, and 233 (31.8%) were published in PubMed indexed journals. Most of the orthodontic articles originated from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (22.9%). The Journal of Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences published most of the national papers (27.8%) and the Australian Orthodontic Journal published the majority of international papers (9.9%) In terms of study design, 52.5% of the articles were observational and 39.4% were interventional. Conclusion: Orthodontic research production in Iran has made significant strides in the recent years and researchers should focus on the quality of the study in this field in order to apply research production in evidence base dentistry. PMID:24910678

  15. 2015 Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Enrollments: Challenges and Opportunities for a Changing and Diversifying Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotlieb, Melissa R.; McLaughlin, Bryan; Cummins, R. Glenn

    2017-01-01

    As with previous years, enrollments in journalism and mass communication programs in the United States have continued to decline. In 2015, such decline among undergraduate student enrollments was particularly prevalent in journalism sequences; in contrast, undergraduate enrollments in strategic communication sequences have seen some growth since…

  16. University of New Mexico Undergraduate Breast Cancer Training Program: Pathway to Research Careers

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Griffith, Jeffrey

    2004-01-01

    We have established a three-phase training program to motivate talented undergraduate students, especially students from under-represented Southwestern minorIties, to pursue careers in breast cancer research...

  17. USC Undergraduate Team Research, Geological Field Experience and Outdoor Education in the Tuolumne Batholith and Kings Canyon, High Sierra Nevada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culbert, K. N.; Anderson, J. L.; Cao, W.; Chang, J.; Ehret, P.; Enriquez, M.; Gross, M. B.; Gelbach, L. B.; Hardy, J.; Paterson, S. R.; Ianno, A.; Iannone, M.; Memeti, V.; Morris, M.; Lodewyk, J.; Davis, J.; Stanley, R.; van Guilder, E.; Whitesides, A. S.; Zhang, T.

    2009-12-01

    Within four years, USC’s College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Earth Science department have successfully launched the revolutionary undergraduate team research (UTR) program “Geologic Wonders of Yosemite at Two Miles High”. A diverse group of professors, graduate students and undergraduates spent two weeks mapping the Boyden Cave in Kings Canyon National Park, the Iron Mountain pendants south of Yosemite, the Western Metamorphic belt along the Merced River, and the Tuolumne Batholith (TB) in June and August 2009. During their experience in the field, the undergraduates learned geologic field techniques from their peers, professors, and experienced graduate students and developed ideas that will form the basis of the independent and group research projects. Apart from teaching undergraduates about the geology of the TB and Kings Canyon, the two weeks in the field were also rigorous exercise in critical thinking and communication. Every day spent in the field required complete cooperation between mentors and undergraduates in order to successfully gather and interpret the day’s data. Undergraduates were to execute the next day’s schedule and divide mapping duties among themselves. The two-week field experience was also the ideal setting in which to learn about the environmental impacts of their work and the actions of others. The UTR groups quickly adapted to the demanding conditions of the High Sierra—snow, grizzly bears, tourists, and all. For many of the undergraduates, the two weeks spent in the field was their first experience with field geology. The vast differences in geological experience among the undergraduates proved to be advantageous to the ‘team-teaching’ focus of the program: more experienced undergraduates were able to assist less experienced undergraduates while cementing their own previously gained knowledge about geology. Over the rest of the academic year, undergraduates will learn about the research process and scientific

  18. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation. ... with reference to game-specific-, anthropometric-, physical and motor variables · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  19. Scientometrical approach of the definition of a research domain using scientific journals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Signogneau, A.

    1995-01-01

    The goal of this thesis is to analyse how the academic domain of a research entity can be defined by a panel of scientific journals. The aim of this work is to contribute to the creation of information tools as a help in research management. The first part gives an analysis of the scientific journals as markers of the scientific development: the production and diffusion of scientific journals and their ''scientometrical'' analysis (references, citation reports, citation indexes etc..). In the second part, a research unit is analyzed according to its related scientific journals and to its research domain. The SPAM (Photons, Atoms and Molecules Service) of the CEA was chosen for this task (main journals and co-publications network, specialization, main topics, collaborations and competition). The OST (Observatory of Sciences and Techniques) has in charge the production of scientific and technical indicators for research operators. The third part evaluates the methods used by the OST (analyses of reviews and journals) to provide a documentary corpus, taking the topic of the environment as an example. Finally the relevance of the information products obtained is evaluated. (J.S.)

  20. Assessment of Health Informatics Competencies in Undergraduate ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Rwanda Journal Series F: Medicine and Health Sciences Vol. ... establishment of continuous on-the-job training in health informatics for those ... deals with the resources, devices and formalized methods .... informatics competencies in undergraduate level, the tool ... Descriptive statistics were used to describe numerical.

  1. The use of reflective journaling as a learning strategy during the clinical rotations of students from the faculty of health sciences: An action-research study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-López, Montserrat; Rodriguez-García, Marta; Villanueva, Purificación-González; Márquez-Cava, Montserrat; García-Mateos, Mónica; Ruiz-Ruiz, Beatriz; Herrera-Sánchez, Esteban

    2015-10-01

    Reflective practice contributes significantly to the assimilation of knowledge in undergraduate health students. Reflective journals constitute a learning strategy that promotes student reflection during clinical practice. The overall aim of the study was to explore teachers' perceptions and experiences regarding the use of reflective clinical journals as a learning tool for students in order to improve the implementation of clinical journal writing in all the Health Science degrees offered by our University. A qualitative research study was performed using the Action-Research method. Students studying various degrees at our Health Faculty were considered for this study (Nursing Physiotherapy, and Physiotherapy and Physical Activity and Sport Science). Data were collected using triangulation of document analysis (102 student journals and 12 teacher journals, together with the teachers' responses to the student's journals) and transcripts from 2 discussion groups (1 student discussion group and 1 teacher discussion group). Data analysis was performed based on the constant comparative method using ATLAS.ti version 6.2 software. Four qualitative themes emerged from the data: the journal as a teaching strategy; building a relationship of trust between the tutor and the student; the role of the teacher and the world of emotions. Several recommendations for supporting clinical journal writing were identified: an informative meeting should be arranged with students; written guidelines should be provided; a personal interview with the student is recommended at the start of the activity; feedback should be offered over short time periods; teachers should provide constructive feedback; and students should adopt a free writing approach, or be guided by very open questions. Finally, it is important that students be familiarized with the assessment criteria. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and ... Modifying scoring system at South African University rugby level changes game dynamics · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  3. Trends in Distance Education Research: A Content Analysis of Journals 2009-2013

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aras Bozkurt

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available This study intends to explore the current trends in the field of distance education research during the period of 2009-2013. The trends were identified by an extensive review of seven peer reviewed scholarly journals: The American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE, Distance Education (DE, The European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning (EURODL, The Journal of Distance Education (JDE, The Journal of Online Learning and Technology (JOLT, Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning (OL and The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL. A total of 861 research articles was reviewed. Mainly content analysis was employed to be able to analyze the current research. Also, a social network analysis (SNA was used to interpret the interrelationship between keywords indicated in these articles. Themes were developed and the content of the articles in the selected journals were coded according to categories derived from earlier studies. The results were interpreted using descriptive analysis (frequencies and social network analysis. The reporting of the results were organized into the following categories: research areas, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, variables, methods, models, strategies, data collection and analysis methods, and the participants. The study also identified the most commonly used keywords, and the most frequently cited authors and studies in distance education. The findings obtained in this study may be useful in the exploration of potential research areas and identification of neglected areas in the field of distance education.

  4. Trends in contemporary orthodontic research publications: Evaluation of three major orthodontic journals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M P Kumar Prasanna

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the inclination of orthodontic research published in original articles in three of the most popular and recognized orthodontic journals with high impact factor; American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJODO, the Angle Orthodontist (AO, and European Journal of Orthodontics (EJO published in a 5-year duration time frame (2010–2014. Materials and Methods: Online search with supplementary hand searching was undertaken for original research articles in these three orthodontic journals from 2010 to 2014. Classification of data was completed autonomously by manual and direct appraisal of the manuscript of each journal. Results and Conclusion: Three thousand one hundred and forty articles published in AJODO, AO, and EJO in the particular time period were selected, out of which 1783 original research study articles (56.78% were appraised for classification in their various respective knowledge domains. AO (82.73% and EJO (76.99% were relatively more committed toward publication of research work in comparison to AJODO (34.55%. Research articles based on perception and questionnaires (12%, temporary anchorage devices (11%, cone-beam computed tomography (8%, invisible orthodontics (lingual orthodontics, clear aligners, esthetic brackets, and wires (5%, and airway examination (5% were the five most recurrently selected subjects of interest (41% in these three journals during the observation period. The total number of research articles published in the three journals reduced statistically significantly in 2014 when compared to 2010.

  5. NanoJapan: international research experience for undergraduates program: fostering U.S.-Japan research collaborations in terahertz science and technology of nanostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Sarah R.; Matherly, Cheryl A.; Kono, Junichiro

    2014-09-01

    The international nature of science and engineering research demands that students have the skillsets necessary to collaborate internationally. However, limited options exist for science and engineering undergraduates who want to pursue research abroad. The NanoJapan International Research Experience for Undergraduates Program is an innovative response to this need. Developed to foster research and international engagement among young undergraduate students, it is funded by a National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) grant. Each summer, NanoJapan sends 12 U.S. students to Japan to conduct research internships with world leaders in terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, nanophotonics, and ultrafast optics. The students participate in cutting-edge research projects managed within the framework of the U.S-Japan NSF-PIRE collaboration. One of our focus topics is THz science and technology of nanosystems (or `TeraNano'), which investigates the physics and applications of THz dynamics of carriers and phonons in nanostructures and nanomaterials. In this article, we will introduce the program model, with specific emphasis on designing high-quality international student research experiences. We will specifically address the program curriculum that introduces students to THz research, Japanese language, and intercultural communications, in preparation for work in their labs. Ultimately, the program aims to increase the number of U.S. students who choose to pursue graduate study in this field, while cultivating a generation of globally aware engineers and scientists who are prepared for international research collaboration.

  6. Using an Undergraduate Materials Research Project to Foster Multidisciplinary Teaming Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newell, James A.; Cleary, Doug D.

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes the use of undergraduate materials multidisciplinary research projects as a means of addressing the growing industrial demand for graduates experienced in working in multidisciplinary teams. It includes a detailed description of a project in which a multidisciplinary team of chemical engineering and civil engineering students…

  7. Awareness and Awakening: A Narrative-Oriented Inquiry of Undergraduate Students' Development of Mindful Agency in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qing Wang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The article explores undergraduate students' experiences of developing mindful agency as a positive learning disposition, their perceived change as a learner, and the possible impact of mindful agency coaching on students' learning and personal growth, using a narrative research method. Seventy Chinese undergraduate students generated personal reflective journals and eight participants' journals were selected to enter into the narrative-oriented inquiry. Our analysis revealed a number of primary themes based on which we produced a meta-story. The supplements of the story were exacted for further critical cross-case discussion. The finding indicated that the multifaceted development of mindful agency involved learning methods, emotional regulation, strategic thinking, and awareness of planning, openness to experience, self-acceptance and self-esteem, and learning engagement, with enhanced sense of personal awareness and awakening. The coaching was supportive for students to foster positive self-identities and become more reflective, mindful, and self-determined.

  8. Cooperation between research institutions and journals on research integrity cases: guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wager, Elizabeth; Kleinert, Sabine

    2012-06-01

    Institutions and journals both have important duties relating to research and publication misconduct. Institutions are responsible for the conduct of their researchers and for encouraging a healthy research environment. Journals are responsible for the conduct of their editors, for safeguarding the research record, and for ensuring the reliability of everything they publish. It is therefore important for institutions and journals to communicate and collaborate effectively on cases relating to research integrity. To achieve this, we make the following recommendations. Institutions should: • have a research integrity officer (or office) and publish their contact details prominently; • inform journals about cases of proven misconduct that affect the reliability or attribution of work that they have published; • respond to journals if they request information about issues, such as disputed authorship, misleading reporting, competing interests, or other factors, including honest errors, that could affect the reliability of published work; • initiate inquiries into allegations of research misconduct or unacceptable publication practice raised by journals; • have policies supporting responsible research conduct and systems in place for investigating suspected research misconduct. Journals should: • publish the contact details of their editor-in-chief who should act as the point of contact for questions relating to research and publication integrity; • inform institutions if they suspect misconduct by their researchers, and provide evidence to support these concerns; • cooperate with investigations and respond to institutions' questions about misconduct allegations; • be prepared to issue retractions or corrections (according to the COPE guidelines on retractions) when provided with findings of misconduct arising from investigations; • have policies for responding to institutions and other organizations that investigate cases of research misconduct

  9. A research experience for American Indian undergraduates: Utilizing an actor–partner interdependence model to examine the student–mentor dyad

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griese, Emily R.; McMahon, Tracey R.; Kenyon, DenYelle Baete

    2016-01-01

    The majority of research examining Undergraduate Research Experiences focuses singularly on student-reported outcomes, often overlooking assessment of the mentor role in student learning and outcomes following these experiences. The goal of the current study was to examine the student-mentor dyad at the beginning and end of a 10-week summer research experience for American Indian undergraduates utilizing a series of actor-partner interdependence models within SEM. Participants included 26 undergraduate interns (50% American Indian; 50% American Indian and White; M age = 24) and 27 mentors (89% White; M age = 47). Findings indicated that in accounting for all potential paths between students and mentors, the partner path between mentor beliefs at the beginning of the program and students’ skills related to autonomy (β =.59, p = .01) and academic resilience (β =.44, p = .03) at the end of the program were significant. These findings suggest the important impact of mentor beliefs on student outcomes, a relationship that should be adequately assessed and continue to be important focus of undergraduate research experiences. Findings further indicate the important role of mentors for American Indian undergraduates. PMID:28289486

  10. Journalism in virtual reality : opportunities and future research challenges

    OpenAIRE

    Sirkkunen, Esa; Väätäjä, Heli; Uskali, Turo; Rezaei, Parisa Pour

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a state-of-the-art overview on journalism and its opportunities and challenges in virtual reality. First we take a look at what kind of real-life journalistic experiments there have been made in this field so far, then we analyze the research literature on journalistic VR. The paper proceeds to discuss the emergence of virtual reality and immersive journalism explored in the latest reports in the fields of HCI and VR design. In order to analyse VR-journalism...

  11. Academics' Perceptions of the Challenges and Barriers to Implementing Research-Based Experiences for Undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brew, Angela; Mantai, Lilia

    2017-01-01

    How can universities ensure that strategic aims to integrate research and teaching through engaging students in research-based experiences be effectively realised within institutions? This paper reports on the findings of a qualitative study exploring academics' perceptions of the challenges and barriers to implementing undergraduate research.…

  12. Institutional and Individual Research Productivity in Five Nominated Multicultural Psychology Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Michael Y.; Cisco, Hilary C.; Delgado-Romero, Edward A.

    2008-01-01

    Research productivity was examined across 5 highly nominated multicultural psychology journals. This yielded a ranking of 40 highly productive institutions and individuals between 1994 and 2007. The results are potentially useful in beginning to track trends in the publication of multicultural psychology studies in research journals.…

  13. Proceedings of the ninth national conference on undergraduate research, 1995. Volume 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yearout, R.D. [ed.

    1995-07-01

    The Ninth National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR 95) was held at Union College in Schenectady, New York. This annual celebration of undergraduate scholarly activity continues to elicit strong nation-wide support and enthusiasm among both students and faculty. Attendance was nearly 1,650, which included 1,213 student oral and poster presenters. For the second year in a row, many student papers had to be rejected for presentation at NCUR due to conference size limitations. Thus, submitted papers for presentation at NCUR 95 were put through a careful review process before acceptance. Those students who have been selected to have their paper appear in these Proceedings have been through yet a second review process. As a consequence, their work has been judged to represent an impressive level of achievement at the undergraduate level. Volume 1 contains papers related to Arts and Humanities (52 papers), and Social and Behavioral Sciences (64 papers).

  14. Proceedings of the ninth national conference on undergraduate research, 1995. Volume 3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yearout, R.D. [ed.

    1995-07-01

    The Ninth National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR 95) was held at Union College in Schenectady, New York. This annual celebration of undergraduate scholarly activity continues to elicit strong nation-wide support and enthusiasm among both students and faculty. Attendance was nearly 1,650, which included 1,213 student oral and poster presenters. For the second year in a row, many student papers had to be rejected for presentation at NCUR due to conference size limitations. Thus, submitted papers for presentation at NCUR 95 were put through a careful review process before acceptance. Those students who have been selected to have their paper appear in these Proceedings have been through yet a second review process. As a consequence, their work has been judged to represent an impressive level of achievement at the undergraduate level. Volume 3 contains papers related to Biological Sciences (46 papers); Chemical Sciences (21 papers); and Environmental Sciences (7 papers).

  15. Engineering education research in European Journal of Engineering Education and Journal of Engineering Education: citation and reference discipline analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wankat, Phillip C.; Williams, Bill; Neto, Pedro

    2014-01-01

    The authors, citations and content of European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE) and Journal of Engineering Education (JEE) in 1973 (JEE, 1975 EJEE), 1983, 1993, 2003, and available 2013 issues were analysed. Both journals transitioned from house organs to become engineering education research (EER) journals, although JEE transitioned first. In this process the number of citations rose, particularly of education and psychology sources; the percentage of research articles increased markedly as did the number of reference disciplines. The number of papers per issue, the number of single author papers, and the citations of science and engineering sources decreased. EJEE has a very broad geographic spread of authors while JEE authors are mainly US based. A 'silo' mentality where general engineering education researchers do not communicate with EER researchers in different engineering disciplines is evident. There is some danger that EER may develop into a silo that does not communicate with technically oriented engineering professors.

  16. Russian Journalism Education: Challenging Media Change and Educational Reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vartanova, Elena; Lukina, Maria

    2017-01-01

    The article presents a general picture of higher education institutions offering journalism undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs located in different parts of the Russian Federation. Monitoring websites of all the universities with journalism education discovered 150 such institutions. They are unevenly dispersed around the country, but…

  17. The Conundrum of Social Class: Disparities in Publishing among STEM Students in Undergraduate Research Programs at a Hispanic Majority Institution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grineski, Sara; Daniels, Heather; Collins, Timothy; Morales, Danielle X.; Frederick, Angela; Garcia, Marilyn

    2018-01-01

    Research on the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) student development pipeline has largely ignored social class and instead examined inequalities based on gender and race. We investigate the role of social class in undergraduate student research publications. Data come from a sample of 213 undergraduate research participants…

  18. Undergraduate Biology Lab Courses: Comparing the Impact of Traditionally Based "Cookbook" and Authentic Research-Based Courses on Student Lab Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brownell, Sara E.; Kloser, Matthew J.; Fukami, Tadishi; Shavelson, Rich

    2012-01-01

    Over the past decade, several reports have recommended a shift in undergraduate biology laboratory courses from traditionally structured, often described as "cookbook," to authentic research-based experiences. This study compares a cookbook-type laboratory course to a research-based undergraduate biology laboratory course at a Research 1…

  19. From Data to Policy: An Undergraduate Program in Research and Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuoco, Rebecca; Blum, Arlene; Peaslee, Graham F.

    2012-01-01

    To bridge the gap between science and policy, future scientists should receive training that incorporates policy implications into the design, analysis, and communication of research. We present a student Science and Policy course for undergraduate science majors piloted at the University of California, Berkeley in the summer of 2011. During this…

  20. Millennial Undergraduate Research Strategies in Web and Library Information Retrieval Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Brandi

    2011-01-01

    This article summarizes the author's dissertation regarding search strategies of millennial undergraduate students in Web and library online information retrieval systems. Millennials bring a unique set of search characteristics and strategies to their research since they have never known a world without the Web. Through the use of search engines,…

  1. Reducing Power Differentials in the Classroom Using Student-Based Quantitative Research Scenarios: Applications in Undergraduate and Graduate Research Methods Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrow, Jennifer Ann; Kelly, Stephanie; Skolits, Gary

    2013-01-01

    Understanding and conducting research is a complex, integral skill that needs to be mastered by both undergraduate and graduate students. Yet many students are reluctant and often somewhat apprehensive about undertaking research and understanding the underlying statistical methods used to evaluate research (Dauphinee, Schau, & Stevens, 1997).…

  2. Predicting Supervisor Capacities to Foster Higher Forms of Learning through Undergraduate Medical Student Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDougall, Margaret

    2014-01-01

    The credibility of short-term undergraduate research as a paradigm for effective learning within Medicine has been recognized. With a view to strengthening this paradigm and enhancing research-teaching linkages, this study explores whether particular types of research supervisor are pre-disposed to providing supportive learning environments.…

  3. Instructional Design for the Future of Undergraduate Journalism Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farmer, Christopher J.

    2012-01-01

    In the face of communication changes brought on by technology, journalism curriculum needs restructuring while staying true to its core values. Using an instructional design framework, and a case study, this paper proposes a journalism education based on Esser's spheres of influence. Current practices and principles are discussed. A literature…

  4. Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project: Engaging High School and Undergraduate Students in Watershed Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, E.; McCabe, D.; Sheldon, S.; Jankowski, K.; Haselton, L.; Luck, M.; van Houten, J.

    2009-12-01

    The Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project engages a diverse group of undergraduates, high school students, and their teachers in hands-on water quality research and exposes them to the process of science. The project aims to (1) recruit students to science careers and (2) create a water quality database comprised of high-quality data collected by undergraduates and high school groups. The project is the training and outreach mechanism of the Complex Systems Modeling for Environmental Problem Solving research program, an NSF-funded program at the University of Vermont (UVM) that provides computational strategies and fresh approaches for understanding how natural and built environments interact. The Streams Project trains participants to collect and analyze data from streams throughout Vermont and at limited sites in Connecticut, New York, and Puerto Rico. Participants contribute their data to an online database and use it to complete individual research projects that focus on the effect of land use and precipitation patterns on selected measures of stream water quality. All undergraduates and some high school groups are paired with a mentor, who is either a graduate student or a faculty member at UVM or other college. Each year, undergraduate students and high school groups are trained to (1) collect water and macroinvertebrate samples from streams, (2) analyze water samples for total phosphorus, bacteria, and total suspended solids in an analytical laboratory, and/or (3) use geographic information systems (GIS) to assess landscape-level data for their watersheds. After training, high school groups collect samples from stream sites on a twice-monthly basis while undergraduates conduct semi-autonomous field and laboratory research. High school groups monitor sites in two watersheds with contrasting land uses. Undergraduate projects are shaped by the interests of students and their mentors. Contribution to a common database provides students with the option to expand the

  5. Integrated systematic review on educational strategies that promote academic success and resilience in undergraduate indigenous students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milne, T; Creedy, D K; West, R

    2016-01-01

    Despite numerous recommendations by governments, researchers, and education policymakers the recruitment, retention and success of undergraduate indigenous students in higher education is not commensurate of the wider student population. There is minimal evidence of valuing indigenous worldviews and perspectives in curricula, and effectiveness of educational strategies to strengthen indigenous student success rates in completing undergraduate studies. To conduct an integrative systematic review of educational strategies to promote academic success and resilience in undergraduate indigenous students. Major databases of Scopus, ProQuest, Informit and Web of Science were searched. Inclusion criteria were peer reviewed research articles from scholarly journals that referenced indigenous, aboriginal, First Nation or Māori students in undergraduate programs in higher education. The search was limited to English language and studies conducted from 1995 to 2014. The search yielded 156 research papers which reduced to 16 papers that met the inclusion criteria. The included papers were critiqued from a standpoint theory approach that reflects feminism, cultural respect, and humanism. Much of the literature describes issues, and provides qualitative analyses of experiences, but empirical evaluations of interventions are rare. There was a gap in current research evaluating strategies to improve indigenous student success and resilience. Key strategies for indigenous student success are multi-faceted, layered support, underpinned by the principles of respect, relationships, and responsibility. Implications for nursing and midwifery education, research and health care practice are outlined. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Engaging undergraduate students in hadron physics research and instrumentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horn, Tanja

    2017-09-01

    Nuclear physics research is fundamental to our understanding of the visible universe and at the same time intertwined with our daily life. Nuclear physics studies the origin and structure of the atomic nuclei in terms of their basic constituents, the quarks and gluons. Atoms and molecules would not exist without underlying quark-gluon interactions, which build nearly all the mass of the visible universe from an assembly of massless gluons and nearly-massless quarks. The study of hadron structure with electromagnetic probes through exclusive and semi-inclusive scattering experiments carried out at the 12 GeV Jefferson Laboratory plays an important role in this effort. In particular, planned precision measurements of pion and kaon form factors and longitudinal-transverse separated deep exclusive pion and kaon electroproduction cross sections to the highest momentum transfers achievable play an important role in understanding hadron structure and masses and provide essential constraints for 3D hadron imaging. While a growing fraction of nuclear physics research is carried out at large international laboratories, individual university research groups play critical roles in the success of that research. These include data analysis projects and the development of state-of-the-art instrumentation demanded by increasingly sophisticated experiments. These efforts are empowered by the creativity of university faculty, staff, postdocs, and provide students with unique hands-on experience. As an example, an aerogel Cherenkov detector enabling strangeness physics research in Hall C at Jefferson Lab was constructed at the Catholic University of America with the help of 16 undergraduate and high school students. The ''Conference Experience for Undergraduates'' (CEU) provides a venue for these students who have conducted research in nuclear physics. This presentation will present the experiences of one of the participants in the first years of the CEU, her current research program

  7. Research on Children's Play: Analysis of Developmental and Early Education Journals from 2005 to 2007

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Mei-Fang; Johnson, James E.

    2010-01-01

    Our review examined four early childhood journals ("Early Child Development and Care," "Early Childhood Education Journal," "Journal of Research in Childhood Education," and "Early Childhood Research Quarterly") and four developmental science journals ("Child Development," "Developmental Psychology," "Journal of Applied Developmental…

  8. The Journal of Real Estate Research: A Ten-Year Review

    OpenAIRE

    G. Donald Jud

    1996-01-01

    This paper provides a catalogue of the papers published in The Journal of Real Estate Research during its first ten years of operation, 1986-96. Articles are indexed by volume and number of The Journal, author, title, and subject.

  9. Description of research design of articles published in four Brazilian physical therapy journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saragiotto, Bruno T; Costa, Lucíola C M; Oliveira, Ronaldo F; Lopes, Alexandre D; Moseley, Anne M; Costa, Leonardo O P

    2014-01-01

    While the research design of articles published in medical journals and in some physical therapy journals has already been evaluated, this has not been investigated in Brazilian physical therapy journals. Objective : To describe the research design used in all articles published in Brazilian scientific journals that are freely available, have high Qualis rankings, and are relevant to physical therapy over a 7-year period. We extracted the bibliometric data, research design, research type (human or animal), and clinical area for all articles published. The articles were grouped into their level of evidence, and descriptive analyses were performed. We calculated the frequency, proportions of articles, and 95% confidence interval of these proportions with each research design in each journal. We cross-tabulated the clinical areas with research designs (expressed as number and percentages). A total of 1,458 articles from four Brazilian journals were found: Revista Brasileira de Fisioterapia, Revista Fisioterapia em Movimento, Revista Fisioterapia e Pesquisa, and Revista Acta Fisiátrica. The majority of articles were classified as level II of evidence (60%), followed by level III (29%) and level I (10%). The most prevalent research designs were cross-sectional studies (38%), single-case or case-series studies, and narrative reviews. Most articles reported human research and were in the musculoskeletal, neurologic, and cardiothoracic areas. Most of the research published in Brazilian physical therapy journals used levels II and III of evidence. Increasing the publication rate of systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials would provide more high-quality evidence to guide evidence-based physical therapy practice.

  10. Undergraduate Library Instruction in the Humanities Increases the Use of Books Over Journals. A Review of: Cooke, R. & Rosenthal, D. (2011. Students use more books after library instruction: An analysis of undergraduate paper citations. College & Research Libraries, 72(4, 334-343.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mê-Linh Lê

    2012-06-01

    analyses to data extracted from five similar studies in order to determine if the FGCU findings were typical of undergraduate students or deviated from the norm.Main Results – The comparison of citations from the Composition I students showed that students who received a library instruction session had more average citations per paper (5.3 to 3.2; used slightly more scholarly sources (51.7% to 49.4%; were much more likely to use books (25.6% vs. 6.3% or magazines and newspapers (18.5% vs. 9.6% as a source; and were less likely to cite journal articles (16.3% vs. 27.3% than their counterparts who received no library instruction. Students who had not received instruction were more likely to use videos (5.4% vs. 2.8% or course texts and handouts (11.7% vs. 0%. Both groups exhibited a preference for material that could be accessed online, and web sites were the most frequently cited source, accounting for nearly one-third of all citations.When the results from the Composition I students who received library instruction were compared to upper-level students who had received instruction in the past, it was found that the average number of citations increased as the course level got higher (i.e., fourth year students used more citations than third year, who used more than second year, etc.. In general, the number of scholarly sources also increased as the course level did. The analysis also showed a strong preference for books over journal articles throughout all classes and course level. Preference for other formats (e.g., web sites, reference sources varied a great deal and in many cases could be attributed to the nature of the assignments.In order to determine whether the FGCU findings were typical of the undergraduate experience, the citation analyses were compared to five other institutions across the U.S. Results show that the FGCU findings were similar in some aspects; two other institutions also displayed a preference for books, but usage of journal articles in upper

  11. Journalism Meets Interaction Design: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Teaching Initiative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angus, Daniel; Doherty, Skye

    2015-01-01

    As the media industry moves to a post-industrial model, there is a need for journalists--current and future--to have a deeper understanding of the ways that technology impacts their work and how best to produce journalism for mobile and networked devices. This article examines a teaching initiative designed to introduce journalism students to…

  12. Connecting Self-Efficacy and Views about the Nature of Science in Undergraduate Research Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quan, Gina M.; Elby, Andrew

    2016-01-01

    Undergraduate research can support students' more central participation in physics. We analyze markers of two coupled shifts in participation: changes in students' views about the nature of science coupled to shifts in self-efficacy toward physics research. Students in the study worked with faculty and graduate student mentors on research projects…

  13. Entry Points When Undergraduate Research Mentors Reflect on Their Role: A Qualitative Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallin, Patric; Adawi, Tom

    2018-01-01

    Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are increasingly taking on mentoring roles in undergraduate research (UR). There is, however, a paucity of research focusing on how they conceptualize their mentoring role. In this qualitative interview study, we identified three entry points that mentors reflect on to define their role: (1) What are…

  14. Vibration isolation/suppression: research experience for undergraduates in mechatronics and smart structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonda, James; Rao, Vittal S.; Sana, Sridhar

    2001-08-01

    This paper provides an account of a student research project conducted under the sponsoring of the National Science Foundation (NSF) program on Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Mechatronics and Smart Strictures in the summer of 2000. The objective of the research is to design and test a stand-alone controller for a vibration isolation/suppression system. The design specification for the control system is to suppress the vibrations induced by the external disturbances by at least fiver times and hence to achieve vibration isolation. Piezo-electric sensors and actuators are utilized for suppression of unwanted vibrations. Various steps such as modeling of the system, controller design, simulation, closed-loop testing using d- Space rapid prototyping system, and analog control implementation are discussed in the paper. Procedures for data collection, the trade-offs carried out in the design, and analog controller implementation issues are also presented in the paper. The performances of various controllers are compared. The experiences of an undergraduate student are summarized in the conclusion of the paper.

  15. GT-SUPREEM: the Georgia Tech summer undergraduate packaging research and engineering experience for minorities

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Gary S.

    1996-07-01

    The Georgia Tech SUmmer Undergraduate Packaging Research and Engineering Experience for Minorities (GT-SUPREEM) is an eight-week summer program designed to attract qualified minority students to pursue graduate degrees in packaging- related disciplines. The program is conducted under the auspices of the Georgia Tech Engineering Research Center in Low-Cost Electronic Packaging, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. In this program, nine junior and senior level undergraduate students are selected on a nationwide basis and paired with a faculty advisor to undertake research projects in the Packaging Research CEnter. The students are housed on campus and provided with a $DLR3,000 stipend and a travel allowance. At the conclusion of the program, the students present both oral and written project summaries. It is anticipated that this experience will motivate these students to become applicants for graduate study in ensuring years. This paper will provide an overview of the GT-SUPREEM program, including student research activities, success stories, lessons learned, and overall program outlook.

  16. Research Digest: TESOL Topics in Other Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael-Luna, Sara, Ed.

    2009-01-01

    This section presents brief synopses of empirical research and theoretical discussions in peer reviewed journals. The aim is to disseminate findings and perspectives in fields related to TESOL and to provide access to the diverse conversations among scholars in the field.

  17. Development of a journal recommendation tool based upon co-citation analysis of journals cited in Wageningen UR research articles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Veller, van M.G.P.; Gerritsma, W.

    2015-01-01

    Wageningen UR Library has developed a tool based upon co-citation analysis to recommend alternative journals to researchers for a journal they look up in the tool. The journal recommendations can be tuned in such a way to include citation preferences for each of the five science groups that comprise

  18. UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology is a publication of the Faculties of Agriculture, Health Sciences and Science of the University of Swaziland. It publishes results of original research or continuations of previous studies that are reproducible. Review articles, short communications and ...

  19. UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology is a publication of the Faculties of Agriculture, Health Sciences and Science of the University of Swaziland. It publishes results of original research or continuations of previous studies that are reproducible. Review articles, short communications and ...

  20. Analysis of Scientific Research Related Anxiety Levels of Undergraduate Students'

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yildirim, Sefa; Hasiloglu, Mehmet Akif

    2018-01-01

    In this study, it was aimed to identify the scientific research-related anxiety levels of the undergraduate students studying in the department of faculty of science and letters and faculty of education to analyse these anxiety levels in terms of various variables (students' gender, using web based information sources, going to the library,…

  1. Reflective Journaling as a Flipped Classroom Technique to Increase Reading and Participation With Social Work Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sage, Melanie; Sele, Patti

    Students in undergraduate social work practice courses come to the class with varying levels of educational, life, and practice experience. Students require an introduction to the material through textbook reading before they are able to engage in critical discussions, yet reading adherence varies widely among students. This research explores the use of reflective journals as a Flipped Classroom technique to increase reflective thinking and reading adherence. This study surveys 27 students in two practice courses about the use of weekly reflective journaling as a flipped classroom assignment. Findings support that reflective reading journals increase student preparation and engagement, but require more work for students and instructors. Implications are discussed.

  2. Cultivating Native American scientists: an application of an Indigenous model to an undergraduate research experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMahon, Tracey R.; Griese, Emily R.; Kenyon, DenYelle Baete

    2018-03-01

    With growing evidence demonstrating the impact of undergraduate research experiences on educational persistence, efforts are currently being made to expand these opportunities within universities and research institutions throughout the United States. Recruiting underrepresented students into these programs has become an increasingly popular method of promoting diversity in science. Given the low matriculation into postsecondary education and completion rates among Native Americans, there is a great need for Native American undergraduate research internships. Although research has shown that Western education models tend to be less effective with Native populations, the implementation of indigenous epistemologies and pedagogies within higher education, including research experiences, is rare. This study explores the applicability of a cognitive apprenticeship merged with an indigenous approach, the Circle of Courage, to build a scientific learning environment and enhance the academic and professional development of Native students engaged in an undergraduate research experience in the health sciences. Data were drawn from focus groups with 20 students who participated in this program in 2012-2014. Questions explored the extent to which relational bonds between students and mentors were cultivated as well as the impact of this experience on the development of research skills, intellectual growth, academic and professional self-determination, and the attachment of meaning to their research experiences. Data were analyzed via deductive content analysis, allowing for an assessment of how the theoretical constructs inherent to this model (belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity) impacted students. Findings suggest that engaging Native students in research experiences that prioritize the needs of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity can be a successful means of fostering a positive learning environment, in which students felt like significant members

  3. Student and Faculty Outcomes of Undergraduate Science Research Projects by Geographically Dispersed Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lawton Shaw

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available 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.

  4. Uncited Research Articles in Popular United States General Radiology Journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenkrantz, Andrew B; Chung, Ryan; Duszak, Richard

    2018-05-03

    This study aimed to characterize articles in popular general radiology journals that go uncited for a decade after publication. Using the Web of Science database, we identified annual citation counts for 13,459 articles published in Radiology, American Journal of Roentgenology, and Academic Radiology between 1997 and 2006. From this article cohort, we then identified all original research articles that accrued zero citations within a decade of publication. A concurrent equal-sized cohort of most cited articles was created. Numerous characteristics of the uncited and most cited articles were identified and compared. Only 47 uncited articles went uncited for a decade after publication. When compared to the 47 most cited articles over that same window, the uncited articles were significantly (P articles, uncited articles also had significantly (P articles published in popular general radiology journals, only a very small number of original research investigations remained uncited a decade after publication. Given that citations reflect the impact of radiology research, this observation suggests that journals are appropriately selecting meaningful work. Investigators seeking to avoid futile publication might consider their research initiatives in light of these characteristics. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Implementation of a Collaborative Series of Classroom-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Spanning Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, and Neurobiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowalski, Jennifer R.; Hoops, Geoffrey C.; Johnson, R. Jeremy

    2016-01-01

    Classroom undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide students access to the measurable benefits of undergraduate research experiences (UREs). Herein, we describe the implementation and assessment of a novel model for cohesive CUREs focused on central research themes involving faculty research collaboration across departments. Specifically, we implemented three collaborative CUREs spanning chemical biology, biochemistry, and neurobiology that incorporated faculty members’ research interests and revolved around the central theme of visualizing biological processes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme activity and neural signaling using fluorescent molecules. Each CURE laboratory involved multiple experimental phases and culminated in novel, open-ended, and reiterative student-driven research projects. Course assessments showed CURE participation increased students’ experimental design skills, attitudes and confidence about research, perceived understanding of the scientific process, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. More than 75% of CURE students also engaged in independent scientific research projects, and faculty CURE contributors saw substantial increases in research productivity, including increased undergraduate student involvement and academic outputs. Our collaborative CUREs demonstrate the advantages of multicourse CUREs for achieving increased faculty research productivity and traditional CURE-associated student learning and attitude gains. Our collaborative CURE design represents a novel CURE model for ongoing laboratory reform that benefits both faculty and students. PMID:27810870

  6. Undergraduate Chemistry Education: A Workshop Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawyer, Keegan; Alper, Joe

    2014-01-01

    "Undergraduate Chemistry Education" is the summary of a workshop convened in May 2013 by the Chemical Science Roundtable of the National Research Council to explore the current state of undergraduate chemistry education. Research and innovation in undergraduate chemistry education has been done for many years, and one goal of this…

  7. Journal of Applied Chemistry and Agricultural Research: Submissions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal of Applied Chemistry and Agricultural Research: Submissions ... and water quality (pollution studies), phyisco-chemical properties of naturally occurring products, colloid chemistry, nutritional chemistry and metallurgy. ... For example:

  8. Journal of Civil Engineering Research and Practice: Submissions

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Guidelines. AIMS AND SCOPE The Journal of Civil Engineering Research and Practice aims to publish original research papers of high standard, containing material of broad interest and of significant contribution to civil engineering, with emphasis being placed on material that is applicable to the solution of ...

  9. Research Methods and Techniques in Spanish Library and Information Science Journals (2012-2014)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferran-Ferrer, Núria; Guallar, Javier; Abadal, Ernest; Server, Adan

    2017-01-01

    Introduction. This study examines the research methods and techniques used in Spanish journals of library and information science, the topics addressed by papers in these journals and their authorship affiliation. Method. The researchers selected 580 papers published in the top seven Spanish LIS journals indexed in Web of Science and Scopus and…

  10. Integrating authentic scientific research in a conservation course–based undergraduate research experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorensen, Amanda E.; Corral, Lucia; Dauer, Jenny M.; Fontaine, Joseph J.

    2018-01-01

    Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been developed to overcome barriers including students in research. However, there are few examples of CUREs that take place in a conservation and natural resource context with students engaging in field research. Here, we highlight the development of a conservation-focused CURE integrated to a research program, research benefits, student self-assessment of learning, and perception of the CURE. With the additional data, researchers were able to refine species distribution models and facilitate management decisions. Most students reported gains in their scientific skills, felt they had engaged in meaningful, real-world research. In student reflections on how this experience helped clarify their professional intentions, many reported being more likely to enroll in graduate programs and seek employment related to science. Also interesting was all students reported being more likely to talk with friends, family, or the public about wildlife conservation issues after participating, indicating that courses like this can have effects beyond the classroom, empowering students to be advocates and translators of science. Field-based, conservation-focused CUREs can create meaningful conservation and natural resource experiences with authentic scientific teaching practices.

  11. Characteristics of Intervention Research in School Psychology Journals: 2010-2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villarreal, Victor; Castro, Maria J.; Umaña, Ileana; Sullivan, Jeremy R.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to provide an updated content analysis of articles published in major journals of school psychology spanning the years 2010-2014, with an emphasis on intervention research (including intervention and participant characteristics). Six journals--"School Psychology Review," "School Psychology…

  12. Untypical Undergraduate Research: Player Motion Analysis in Sports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loerke, Dinah

    There is significant concern about the degree of attrition in STEM disciplines from the start of K-12 through to the end of higher education, and the analysis of the `leaky pipeline' from the various institutions has identified a critical decline - which may be as high as 60 percent - between the fraction of students who identify as having an interest in a science or engineering major at the start of college/university, and the fraction of students who ultimately graduate with a STEM degree. It has been shown that this decline is even more dramatic for women and underrepresented minorities (Blickenstaff 2005, Metcalf 2010). One intervention which has been proven to be effective for retention of potential STEM students is early research experience, particularly if it facilitates the students' integration into a STEM learning community (Graham et al. 2013, Toven-Lindsey et al. 2015). In other words, to retain students in STEM majors, we would like to encourage them to `think of themselves as scientists', and simultaneously promote supportive peer networks. The University of Denver (DU) already has a strong undergraduate research program. However, while the current program provides valuable training for many students, it likely comes too late to be effective for student retention in STEM, because it primarily serves older students who have already finished the basic coursework in their discipline; within physics, we know that the introductory physics courses already serve as gatekeeper courses that cause many gifted but `non-typical' students to lose interest in pursuing a STEM major (Tobias 1990). To address this issue, my lab is developing a small research spinoff program in which we apply spatiotemporal motion analysis to the motion trajectories of players in sports, using video recordings of DU Pioneer hockey games. This project aims to fulfill a dual purpose: The research is framed in a way that we think is attractive and accessible for beginning students who

  13. Students' Reflective Essays as Insights into Student Centred-Pedagogies within the Undergraduate Research Methods Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosein, Anesa; Rao, Namrata

    2017-01-01

    In higher education, despite the emphasis on student-centred pedagogical approaches, undergraduate research methods pedagogy remains surprisingly teacher-directed. Consequently, it may lead to research methods students assuming that becoming a researcher involves gathering information rather than it being a continuous developmental process. To…

  14. The 2013 Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castelaz, Michael W.; Cline, J. D.; Whitworth, C.; Clavier, D.; Barker, T.

    2014-01-01

    Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) offers summer undergraduate research internships. PARI has received support for the internships from the EMC Corporation, private donations, private foundations, and through a collaboration with the Pisgah Astronomical Research and Education Center of the University of North Carolina - Asheville. The internship program began in 2001 with 4 students. This year 10 funded students participated. Mentors for the interns include PARI’s Directors of Science, Education, and Information Technology and visiting faculty who are members of the PARI Research Faculty Affiliate program. Students work with mentors on radio and optical astronomy research, electrical engineering for robotic control of instruments, software development for instrument control and and science education by developing curricula and multimedia and teaching high school students in summer programs at PARI. At the end of the summer interns write a paper about their research which is published in the PARI Summer Student Proceedings. Students are encouraged to present their research at AAS Meetings. We will present a summary of specific research conducted by the students with their mentors.

  15. Use of social media tools among Nigerian undergraduates in three ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Use of social media tools among Nigerian undergraduates in three selected tertiary ... Information Impact: Journal of Information and Knowledge Management ... introduction of ICT literacy courses and subsidized internet access rate were ...

  16. Observations on European Education and Educational Research: The "European Educational Research Journal" at Work, 2002-2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindblad, Sverker

    2014-01-01

    This is a review of the "European Educational Research Journal" ("EERJ") since the start in 2002 and up to 2014. Three questions were put forward: what are the ambitions with the journal, how has the journal developed over time, and what are its possible futures? The review is based on minutes and emails from the late 1990s up…

  17. Publishing activities improves undergraduate biology education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Michelle K

    2018-06-01

    To improve undergraduate biology education, there is an urgent need for biology instructors to publish their innovative active-learning instructional materials in peer-reviewed journals. To do this, instructors can measure student knowledge about a variety of biology concepts, iteratively design activities, explore student learning outcomes and publish the results. Creating a set of well-vetted activities, searchable through a journal interface, saves other instructors time and encourages the use of active-learning instructional practices. For authors, these publications offer new opportunities to collaborate and can provide evidence of a commitment to using active-learning instructional techniques in the classroom.

  18. Journal Club: a group of research experience

    OpenAIRE

    Draganov, Patricia Bover; Silva, Maria Regina Guimarães; Neves, Vanessa Ribeiro; Sanna, Maria Cristina

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Introduction: the Journal Club (JC) is a teaching and learning strategy developed by individuals who meet to discuss scientific articles in periodicals. Objective: to describe the experience of the JC strategy at the Group for Studies and Research in Health Services Administration and Nursing Management (Gepag). Method: case studies or scientific research demonstration mode of practical experience for the understanding and justification of facts. Results: Gepag JC emerged in 2008...

  19. The Trauma Research Associates Program (T-RAP) for undergraduate students: shaping future academic surgeons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barmparas, Galinos; Fierro, Nicole; Lee, Debora; Sun, Beatrice J; Ley, Eric J

    2015-01-01

    Offering undergraduate students research opportunities may enhance their interest in pursuing a surgical career and lead to increased academic productivity. We characterize the benefits of participating in the Trauma Research Associates Program. A 19-point Web-based survey. Academic Level I Trauma Center. A total of 29 active and former members of the Trauma Research Associates Program. Academic activities and predictors associated with interest in a surgical career and research productivity. Surveys were completed on 26 of 29 (90%) participants. Clinical experience was the most highly ranked motivation to join the program (65%), followed by pursuing a research experience (46%). During their involvement, 73% of participants observed surgical intensive care unit rounds, 65% observed acute care surgery rounds, and 35% observed a surgical procedure in the operating room. In addition, 46% submitted at least one abstract to a surgical meeting coauthored with the Division's faculty. Furthermore, 58% reported that they enrolled in a medical school, whereas 17% pursued a full-time research job. The program influenced the interest in a surgical career in 39% of all members, and 73% reported that they would incorporate research in their medical career. Observing a surgical procedure was independently associated with development of a high interest in a surgical career (adjusted odds ratio: 6.50; 95% CI: 1.09, 38.63; p = 0.04), whereas volunteering for more than 15 hours per week predicted submission of at least 1 abstract to a surgical conference by the participant (adjusted odds ratio: 13.00; 95% CI: 1.27, 133.29; p = 0.03). Development of a structured research program for undergraduate students is beneficial to both the participants and sponsoring institution. Undergraduate exposure to academic surgery enhances interest in pursuing a surgical specialty and leads to academic productivity. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier

  20. Journal reprints as dissemination of psychological research: courtesy, obligation, or obsolescence?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watkins, M W

    2001-01-01

    The proliferation of journals and the escalation of journal prices have made it difficult for psychologists, especially those in rural areas without access to comprehensive libraries, to obtain journal articles. A traditional source of otherwise unavailable papers is to request a reprint directly from the author. Although previous researchers found this method to be 60%-80% successful, there have been major changes in journal operations and alternative media since this research was conducted. In the present study, reprints were requested from 473 corresponding authors from 10 American Psychological Association journals. The compliance rate was 84% and reprints took, on average, 32 days to arrive. There was no difference in the rate or in the speed of response due to the requestor's status as an academic or applied psychologist. Although functional, the traditional reprint request method was slow, uncertain, and costly. It is suggested that a demand still exists for reprints, but that electronic reprints should replace the traditional paper format. Key words: reprints, scientific communication

  1. Students' Appropriation, Rejection and Perceptions of Creativity in Reflective Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connell, Timothy S.; Dyment, Janet E.; Smith, Heidi A.

    2015-01-01

    This paper explores the intersection of reflection, journal writing and creativity. Undergraduate students who participated in a residential field camp were required to keep a creative reflective journal to demonstrate their theoretical and practical understandings of their experience. This study reports on the content analysis of 42 student…

  2. International Journal of Basic, Applied and Innovative Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2014-09-30

    Sep 30, 2014 ... International Journal of Basic, Applied and Innovative Research. IJBAIR, 2014 ... as science and technology? ... On the contrary, many African communities are bedeviled by economic and leadership crisis, epidemics, poverty.

  3. Attitude of Niger Delta university undergraduates towards HIV/AIDS

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Emeka Egbochuku

    that undergraduates had a positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS campaigns with the attitude of female .... print/audio media and also visual media. Also in the schools peer .... use. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 3(1), 53-58.

  4. How to Educate Innovation Journalists? Experiences of Innovation Journalism Education in Finland 2004-2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lassila-Merisalo, Maria; Uskali, Turo

    2011-01-01

    Finland has been among the very first nations to apply for practice theories of innovation journalism--journalism covering innovations. This essay is based on deep interviews since 2004 of all former Finnish innovation journalism fellows (N = 9), and two surveys of undergraduate journalism students (N = 16) who took part in the world's first…

  5. The C-MORE Scholars Program: Engaging minority students in STEM through undergraduate research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, B. A.; Bruno, B. C.

    2010-12-01

    There have been several studies that show how undergraduate research experiences (REU) have a positive impact on a student’s academic studies and career path, including being a positive influence toward improving the student's lab skills and ability to work independently. Moreover, minority students appear to relate to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts better when they are linked with (1) a service learning component, and (2) STEM courses that include a cultural and social aspect that engages the student in a way that does not distract from the student’s technical learning. It is also known that a “place-based” approach that incorporates traditional (indigenous) knowledge can help engage underrepresented minority groups in STEM disciplines and increase science literacy. Based on the methods and best practices used by other minority serving programs and described in the literature, the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) has successfully developed an academic-year REU to engage and train the next generation of scientists. The C-MORE Scholars Program provides undergraduate students majoring in an ocean or earth science-related field, especially underrepresented students such as Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, the opportunity to participate in unique and cutting edge hands-on research experiences. The program appoints awardees at one of three levels based on previous research and academic experience, and students can progress through the various tiers as their skills and STEM content knowledge develop. All awardees receive guidance on a research project from a mentor who is a scientist at the university and/or industry. A key component of the program is the inclusion of professional development activities to help the student continue towards post graduation education or prepare for career opportunities after they receive their undergraduate STEM degree.

  6. Reflexive journaling on emotional research topics: ethical issues for team researchers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malacrida, Claudia

    2007-12-01

    Traditional epistemological concerns in qualitative research focus on the effects of researchers' values and emotions on choices of research topics, power relations with research participants, and the influence of researcher standpoints on data collection and analysis. However, the research process also affects the researchers' values, emotions, and standpoints. Drawing on reflexive journal entries of assistant researchers involved in emotionally demanding team research, this article explores issues of emotional fallout for research team members, the implications of hierarchical power imbalances on research teams, and the importance of providing ethical opportunities for reflexive writing about the challenges of doing emotional research. Such reflexive approaches ensure the emotional safety of research team members and foster opportunities for emancipatory consciousness among research team members.

  7. Development and pilot evaluation of Native CREST-a Cancer Research Experience and Student Training program for Navajo undergraduate students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Christine A; Bauer, Mark C; Horazdovsky, Bruce F; Garrison, Edward R; Patten, Christi A; Petersen, Wesley O; Bowman, Clarissa N; Vierkant, Robert A

    2013-03-01

    The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center and Diné College received funding for a 4-year collaborative P20 planning grant from the National Cancer Institute in 2006. The goal of the partnership was to increase Navajo undergraduates' interest in and commitment to biomedical coursework and careers, especially in cancer research. This paper describes the development, pilot testing, and evaluation of Native CREST (Cancer Research Experience and Student Training), a 10-week cancer research training program providing mentorship in a Mayo Clinic basic science or behavioral cancer research lab for Navajo undergraduate students. Seven Native American undergraduate students (five females, two males) were enrolled during the summers of 2008-2011. Students reported the program influenced their career goals and was valuable to their education and development. These efforts may increase the number of Native American career scientists developing and implementing cancer research, which will ultimately benefit the health of Native American people.

  8. An intensive primary-literature-based teaching program directly benefits undergraduate science majors and facilitates their transition to doctoral programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozeracki, Carol A; Carey, Michael F; Colicelli, John; Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Grossel, Martha

    2006-01-01

    UCLA's Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Program (HHURP), a collaboration between the College of Letters and Science and the School of Medicine, trains a group of highly motivated undergraduates through mentored research enhanced by a rigorous seminar course. The course is centered on the presentation and critical analysis of scientific journal articles as well as the students' own research. This article describes the components and objectives of the HHURP and discusses the results of three program assessments: annual student evaluations, interviews with UCLA professors who served as research advisors for HHURP scholars, and a survey of program alumni. Students indicate that the program increased their ability to read and present primary scientific research and to present their own research and enhanced their research experience at UCLA. After graduating, they find their involvement in the HHURP helped them in securing admission to the graduate program of their choice and provided them with an advantage over their peers in the interactive seminars that are the foundation of graduate education. On the basis of the assessment of the program from 1998-1999 to 2004-2005, we conclude that an intensive literature-based training program increases student confidence and scientific literacy during their undergraduate years and facilitates their transition to postgraduate study.

  9. Trends in Autism Research: A Systematic Journal Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graff, Heidi J.; Berkeley, Sheri; Evmenova, Anya S.; Park, Kristy L.

    2014-01-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disability for which prevalence rates continue to increase. Persons with ASD vary widely in both severity of disability and services required. Therefore it is important to identify trends in research and evaluate progress in the field. The current study uses a journal analysis to evaluate research over…

  10. Open access journals – what publishers offer, what researchers want

    CERN Document Server

    Dallmeier-Tiessen, Suenje; Goerner, Bettina; Hyppoelae, Jenni; Igo-Kemenes, Peter; Kahn, Deborah; Lamber, Simon; Lengenfelder, Anja; Leonard, Chris; Mele, Salvatore; Nowicka, Malgorzata; Polydoratou, Panayiota; Ross, David; Ruiz-Perez, Sergio; Schimmer, Ralf; Swaisland, Mark; van der Stelt, Wim

    2011-01-01

    The SOAP (Study of Open Access Publishing) project has analyzed the current supply and demand situation in the open access journal landscape. Starting from the Directory of Open Access Journals, several sources of data were considered, including journal websites and direct inquiries within the publishing industry to comprehensively map the present supply of online peer-reviewed OA journals. The demand for open access publishing is summarised, as assessed through a large-scale survey of researchers' opinions and attitudes. Some forty thousand answers were collected across disciplines and around the world, reflecting major support for the idea of open access, while highlighting drivers of and barriers to open access publishing.

  11. The Use of E-journals by Health Researchers: A Case Study of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olayemi, Olalekan Moses

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the use of e-journals by health researchers in the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR. A descriptive survey method was adopted for the study and a questionnaire was used for data collection. The study population was comprised of fifty-four (54 respondents who are health researchers in the institute. The data collected were presented and analyzed using tables, frequency distribution, simple percentages, and charts. The result of the study revealed that all the respondents are aware of the availability of e-journals and attest to making use of them. The study revealed that electronic journals were mostly used for the purpose of conducting research work and the PDF format was preferred for downloading e-journals. However, it was observed that low Internet connectivity and intermittent electricity supply constitute a major obstacle to the use of e-journals. The study, therefore, recommended that the institute's management invest more resources on network connectivity, particularly its bandwidth, and ensure reliable power supply.

  12. Nigerian Journal of Chemical Research 29 Vol. 15, 2010 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Hp

    Nigerian Journal of Chemical Research. 29. Vol. 15, 2010. Antibacterial & Antifungal Studies On Some Coordination Compound Of Metals. With Ampicillin. Pranay Guru. Department of Engineering Chemistry, People's College of Research & Technology, Bhopal. (M. P.) India, email:pranayguru@rediffmail.com. ABSTRACT.

  13. An Evaluation of a Course That Introduces Undergraduate Students to Authentic Aerospace Engineering Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mena, Irene B.; Schmitz, Sven; McLaughlin, Dennis

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes the implementation and assessment of an aerospace engineering course in which undergraduate students worked on research projects with graduate research mentors. The course was created using the principles from cooperative learning and project-based learning, and consisted of students working in small groups on a complex,…

  14. The Svalbard REU Program: Undergraduates Pursuing Arctic Climate Change Research on Svalbard, Norway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roof, S.; Werner, A.

    2007-12-01

    The Svalbard Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program sponsored by the Arctic Natural Sciences Program of the National Science Foundation has been successfully providing international field research experiences since 2004. Each year, 7-9 undergraduate students have participated in 4-5 weeks of glacial geology and climate change fieldwork on Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago in the North Atlantic (76- 80° N lat.). While we continue to learn new and better ways to run our program, we have learned specific management and pedagogical strategies that allow us to streamline our logistics and to provide genuine, meaningful research opportunities to undergraduate students. We select student participants after extensive nationwide advertising and recruiting. Even before applying to the program, students understand that they will be doing meaningful climate change science, will take charge of their own project, and will be expected to continue their research at their home institution. We look for a strong commitment of support from a student's advisor at their home institution before accepting students into our program. We present clear information, including participant responsibilities, potential risks and hazards, application procedures, equipment needed, etc on our program website. The website also provides relevant research papers and data and results from previous years, so potential participants can see how their efforts will contribute to growing body of knowledge. New participants meet with the previous years' participants at a professional meeting (our "REUnion") before they start their field experience. During fieldwork, students are expected to develop research questions and test their own hypotheses while providing and responding to peer feedback. Professional assessment by an independent expert provides us with feedback that helps us improve logistical procedures and shape our educational strategies. The assessment also shows us how

  15. Automatic processing of list of journals and publications in the Nuclear Research Institute

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vymetal, L.

    Using an EC 1040 computer, the Institute of Nuclear Research processed the list of journals in the reference library of the Czechoslovak Atomic Energy Commission including journals acquired by all institutions subordinated to the Czechoslovak Atomic Energy Commission, ie., UJV Rez (Nuclear Research Institute), Nuclear Information Centre Prague, UVVVR Prague (Institute for Research, Production and Application of Radioisotopes) and Institute of Radioecology and Applied Nuclear Techniques Kosice. Computer processing allowed obtaining files arranged by libraries, subject matters of the journals, countries of publication, and journal titles. Automated processing is being prepared of publications by UJV staff. The preparation is described of data for computer processing of both files and specimens are shown of printouts. (Ha)

  16. Research and Teaching: An Investigation of the Evolution of High School and Undergraduate Student Researchers' Understanding of Key Science Ethics Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mabrouk, Patricia Ann

    2013-01-01

    High school and undergraduate research students were surveyed over the 10-week period of their summer research programs to investigate their understanding of key concepts in science ethics and whether their understanding changed over the course of their summer research experiences. Most of the students appeared to understand the issues relevant to…

  17. Research and Science Today Supplement No. 3/2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana BUTCOVAN

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available RESEARCH AND SCIENCE TODAY is a biannual science journal established in 2011. The journal is an informational platform that publishes assessment articles and the results of various scientific research carried out by academics. We provide the authors with the opportunity to create and/or perfect their science writing skills. Thus, each issue of the journal (two per year and at least two supplements will contain professional articles from any academic field, authored by domestic and international academics. The goal of this journal is to pass on relevant information to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students as well as to fellow academics and researchers; the topics covered are unlimited, considering its multi-disciplinary profile. Regarding the national and international visibility of Research and Science Today, it is indexed in over 30 international databases (IDB and is present in over 200 online libraries and catalogues; therefore, anybody can easily consult the articles featured in each issue by accessing the databases or simply the website.

  18. Research and Science Today No. 2(4/2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    VĂIDEAN Amelia-Liana

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available RESEARCH AND SCIENCE TODAY is a biannual science journal established in 2011. The journal is an informational platform that publishes assessment articles and the results of various scientific research carried out by academics. We provide the authors with the opportunity to create and/or perfect their science writing skills. Thus, each issue of the journal (two per year and at least two supplements will contain professional articles from any academic field, authored by domestic and international academics. The goal of this journal is to pass on relevant information to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students as well as to fellow academics and researchers; the topics covered are unlimited, considering its multi-disciplinary profile. Regarding the national and international visibility of Research and Science Today, it is indexed in over 30 international databases (IDB and is present in over 200 online libraries and catalogues; therefore, anybody can easily consult the articles featured in each issue by accessing the databases or simply the website.

  19. Research and Science Today Supplement No. 1/2014

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena-Steluţa DINU

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available RESEARCH AND SCIENCE TODAY is a biannual science journal established in 2011. The journal is an informational platform that publishes assessment articles and the results of various scientific research carried out by academics. We provide the authors with the opportunity to create and/or perfect their science writing skills. Thus, each issue of the journal (two per year and at least two supplements will contain professional articles from any academic field, authored by domestic and international academics. The goal of this journal is to pass on relevant information to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students as well as to fellow academics and researchers; the topics covered are unlimited, considering its multi-disciplinary profile. Regarding the national and international visibility of Research and Science Today, it is indexed in over 30 international databases (IDB and is present in over 200 online libraries and catalogues; therefore, anybody can easily consult the articles featured in each issue by accessing the databases or simply the website.

  20. Research and Science Today Supplement No. 2/2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tudor Cosmin CIOCAN

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available RESEARCH AND SCIENCE TODAY is a biannual science journal established in 2011. The journal is an informational platform that publishes assessment articles and the results of various scientific research carried out by academics. We provide the authors with the opportunity to create and/or perfect their science writing skills. Thus, each issue of the journal (two per year and at least two supplements will contain professional articles from any academic field, authored by domestic and international academics. The goal of this journal is to pass on relevant information to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students as well as to fellow academics and researchers; the topics covered are unlimited, considering its multi-disciplinary profile. Regarding the national and international visibility of Research and Science Today, it is indexed in over 30 international databases (IDB and is present in over 200 online libraries and catalogues; therefore, anybody can easily consult the articles featured in each issue by accessing the databases or simply the website.

  1. Research and Science Today Supplement No. 1/2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana-Maria ADĂSCĂLIȚEI

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available RESEARCH AND SCIENCE TODAY is a biannual science journal established in 2011. The journal is an informational platform that publishes assessment articles and the results of various scientific research carried out by academics. We provide the authors with the opportunity to create and/or perfect their science writing skills. Thus, each issue of the journal (two per year and at least two supplements will contain professional articles from any academic field, authored by domestic and international academics. The goal of this journal is to pass on relevant information to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students as well as to fellow academics and researchers; the topics covered are unlimited, considering its multi-disciplinary profile. Regarding the national and international visibility of Research and Science Today, it is indexed in over 30 international databases (IDB and is present in over 200 online libraries and catalogues; therefore, anybody can easily consult the articles featured in each issue by accessing the databases or simply the website.

  2. Research and Science Today No. 2(2/2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana Rodica MUREŞAN

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available RESEARCH AND SCIENCE TODAY is a biannual science journal established in 2011. The journal is an informational platform that publishes assessment articles and the results of various scientific research carried out by academics. We provide the authors with the opportunity to create and/or perfect their science writing skills. Thus, each issue of the journal (two per year and at least two supplements will contain professional articles from any academic field, authored by domestic and international academics. The goal of this journal is to pass on relevant information to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students as well as to fellow academics and researchers; the topics covered are unlimited, considering its multi-disciplinary profile. Regarding the national and international visibility of Research and Science Today, it is indexed in over 30 international databases (IDB and is present in over 200 online libraries and catalogues; therefore, anybody can easily consult the articles featured in each issue by accessing the databases or simply the website.

  3. Research and Science Today Supplement No. 1/2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian Todor

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available RESEARCH AND SCIENCE TODAY is a biannual science journal established in 2011. The journal is an informational platform that publishes assessment articles and the results of various scientific research carried out by academics. We provide the authors with the opportunity to create and/or perfect their science writing skills. Thus, each issue of the journal (two per year and at least two supplements will contain professional articles from any academic field, authored by domestic and international academics. The goal of this journal is to pass on relevant information to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students as well as to fellow academics and researchers; the topics covered are unlimited, considering its multi-disciplinary profile. Regarding the national and international visibility of Research and Science Today, it is indexed in over 30 international databases (IDB and is present in over 200 online libraries and catalogues; therefore, anybody can easily consult the articles featured in each issue by accessing the databases or simply the website.

  4. Research and Science Today No. 1(1/2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra DRĂGHICI

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available RESEARCH AND SCIENCE TODAY is a biannual science journal established in 2011. The journal is an informational platform that publishes assessment articles and the results of various scientific research carried out by academics. We provide the authors with the opportunity to create and/or perfect their science writing skills. Thus, each issue of the journal (two per year and at least two supplements will contain professional articles from any academic field, authored by domestic and international academics. The goal of this journal is to pass on relevant information to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students as well as to fellow academics and researchers; the topics covered are unlimited, considering its multi-disciplinary profile. Regarding the national and international visibility of Research and Science Today, it is indexed in over 30 international databases (IDB and is present in over 200 online libraries and catalogues; therefore, anybody can easily consult the articles featured in each issue by accessing the databases or simply the website.

  5. Geologic Wonders of Yosemite at Two Miles High: an Undergraduate, Learner-Centered, Team Research Program at the University of Southern California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, R.; Anderson, J. L.; Cao, W.; Gao, Y.; Ikeda, T.; Jacobs, R.; Johanesen, K.; Mai, J.; Memeti, V.; Padilla, A.; Paterson, S. R.; Seyum, S.; Shimono, S.; Thomas, T.; Thompson, J.; Zhang, T.

    2007-12-01

    This program is a multidisciplinary student research experience that is largely outside of the classroom, involving undergraduate students in an international-level research project looking at the magmatic plumbing systems formed underneath volcanoes. We bring together a blend of students across the disciplines, both from within and outside the sciences. Following a "learner-centered" teaching philosophy, we formed student teams where more advanced students worked with and taught those more junior, under the guidance of mentors, which include USC professors, graduate students, and visiting international scholars. This program truly covers the full breadth of the research process, from field work and data collection to analysis to presentation. In the summers of 2006 and 2007, research groups of undergraduates and mentors camped in the high Sierra backcountry and worked in small mapping groups by day, generating a detailed geologic map of the field area. Evenings consisted of student led science meetings where the group discussed major research problems and developed a plan to address them. Upon returning from the field, the research group transitions to more lab- based work, including rock dating, XRF geochemistry, microscope, and mineral microprobe analyses, and by spring semester the groups also begins writing up and presenting the results. The summer 2006 research group consisted of 5 undergraduate students and 5 mentors, and was a huge success resulting in presentations at a university undergraduate research symposium as well as the Cordilleran Section meeting of GSA. The summer 2007 group was even larger, with 10 undergraduates and 6 mentors, including two international scholars. Undergraduates also participated in research in China and Mongolia. Aside from rewarding research experiences, students learn rapidly through these research experiences, were much more engaged in the learning process, and benefited from teaching their peers. Several students expressed

  6. Improving Undergraduate Research Experiences With An Intentional Mentoring Program: Lessons Learned Through Assessment of Keck Geology Consortium Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wirth, K. R.; Garver, J. I.; Greer, L.; Pollock, M.; Varga, R. J.; Davidson, C. M.; Frey, H. M.; Hubbard, D. K.; Peck, W. H.; Wobus, R. A.

    2015-12-01

    The Keck Geology Consortium, with support from the National Science Foundation (REU Program) and ExxonMobil, is a collaborative effort by 18 colleges to improve geoscience education through high-quality research experiences. Since its inception in 1987 more than 1350 undergraduate students and 145 faculty have been involved in 189 yearlong research projects. This non-traditional REU model offers exceptional opportunities for students to address research questions at a deep level, to learn and utilize sophisticated analytical methods, and to engage in authentic collaborative research that culminates in an undergraduate research symposium and published abstracts volume. The large numbers of student and faculty participants in Keck projects also affords a unique opportunity to study the impacts of program design on undergraduate research experiences in the geosciences. Students who participate in Keck projects generally report significant gains in personal and professional dimensions, as well as in clarification of educational and career goals. Survey data from student participants, project directors, and campus advisors identify mentoring as one of the most critical and challenging elements of successful undergraduate research experiences. Additional challenges arise from the distributed nature of Keck projects (i.e., participants, project directors, advisors, and other collaborators are at different institutions) and across the span of yearlong projects. In an endeavor to improve student learning about the nature and process of science, and to make mentoring practices more intentional, the Consortium has developed workshops and materials to support both project directors and campus research advisors (e.g., best practices for mentoring, teaching ethical professional conduct, benchmarks for progress, activities to support students during research process). The Consortium continues to evolve its practices to better support students from underrepresented groups.

  7. Trends in Distance Education Research: A Content Analysis of Journals 2009-2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozkurt, Aras; Akgun-Ozbek, Ela; Yilmazel, Sibel; Erdogdu, Erdem; Ucar, Hasan; Guler, Emel; Sezgin, Sezan; Karadeniz, Abdulkadir; Sen-Ersoy, Nazife; Goksel-Canbek, Nil; Dincer, Gokhan Deniz; Ari, Suleyman; Aydin, Cengiz Hakan

    2015-01-01

    This study intends to explore the current trends in the field of distance education research during the period of 2009-2013. The trends were identified by an extensive review of seven peer reviewed scholarly journals: "The American Journal of Distance Education" (AJDE), "Distance Education" (DE), "The European Journal of…

  8. International Journal of Basic, Applied and Innovative Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2016-06-30

    Jun 30, 2016 ... International Journal of Basic, Applied and Innovative Research ... This study determined the extent of bacterial contamination of cow meat ... Sample Size/ Sample Collection: A total of 120 samples comprising of 40 samples ...

  9. HOW DO STUDENTS PERCIEVE AND APPRECIATE “FAILURE” DURING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Rowland

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Since 2011 we have conducted Authentic Large-scale Undergraduate Research Experiences (ALURES with our Sophomore and Junior biochemistry cohorts - so far over 1000 students have participated.The students in 2011-2014 wrote reflections about their experiences mid-semester and/or at the end of semester. Their writing indicates a growing awareness of the value of failure and struggle, as well as a healthy respect for the power of peer support and interaction.We asked the question “what do our students see as a “failure”, and does their understanding of the value of struggle change as a result of the ALURE experience?In 2015 we are conducting a longitudinal study of our ALURE students as they progress through the semester – the students have completed a series of five semi-structured interviews and the URSSA survey. We are examining their development of research and scientific literacy through the lens of productive failure.Our results indicate that although we feel we are designing productive failure into our undergraduate research experiences, we do not appear to be providing a high enough sense of risk or responsibility. This means that the students do not experience a sense of struggle or project ownership with the authenticity we desire. This is causing us to redesign our ALURE offerings.

  10. West African Journal of Industrial and Academic Research ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Prof. Osuagwwu

    West African Journal of Industrial and Academic Research December 2016 v0l. ... 1Civil Engineering Department, Collage of Science and Engineering .... P.K. Guha (2009) maintenance and Repairs of Buildings published by new central Book ...

  11. UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology. ... Effect of early and Late Feed Restriction on Compensantory Ability of Broilers ... A Comparison of the Growth and Milk Conversion Rates of Lambs and Goat Kids in Malawi ...

  12. Wyoming Infrared Observatory's Summer Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program: 10 Years of REU

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canterna, R.; Beck, K.; Hickman, M. A.

    1996-05-01

    The Wyoming Infrared Observatory's Summer Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program (SURAP) will complete its tenth year as an NSF REU site. Using the theme, a tutorial in research, SURAP has provided research experience for over 90 students from all regions of the United States. We will present typical histories of past students to illustrate the impact an REU experience has on the scientific careers of these students. Demographic data will be presented to show the diverse backgrounds of our SURAP students. A short film describing our science ethics seminar will be available for later presentation.

  13. Quality of gastroenterology research published in Saudi Arabian scientific journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almaghrabi, Majed M; Alamoudi, Abdullah S; Radi, Suhaib A; Merdad, Anas A; Makhdoum, Ahmad M; Batwa, Faisal A

    2015-01-01

    Evidence-based medicine has established itself in the field of gastroenterology. In this study we aim to assess the types of study designs of gastroenterology-related articles published in Saudi scientific journals. An online review using PubMed was carried out to review gastroenterology-related articles published in six Saudi medical journals in the time interval from 2003 to 2012. To classify the level of evidence in these articles we employed the Oxford's levels of evidence. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the levels of evidence between published articles. A total of 721 gastroenterology-related articles were reviewed, of which 591 articles met our inclusion criteria; 80.7% were level IV. The three most common types of studies we encountered were cross-sectional (33.9%), case reports (27.9%), and case series (18.8%). Forty-three percent of the published research was in the field of hepatobiliary and spleen. The total number of articles increased from 260 articles in the 1 st 5-year period (2003-2007) to 330 in the 2 nd period (2008-2012). However, no statistically significant difference in the level of evidence was noted. In Annals of Saudi Medicine Journal, articles with level II increased from 0 to 10% with a P value 0.02. In our review of gastroenterology-related published articles in Saudi scientific journals, we observed an increase in the quantity of articles with the quality and level of evidence remaining unchanged. Further research is recommended to explore different reasons affecting the volume and quality of gastroenterology-related research in Saudi scientific journals.

  14. 76 FR 93 - Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) NIST Gaithersburg and Boulder Programs...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-03

    ... encourage outstanding undergraduate students to pursue careers in science and engineering. The objective of...: Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number: Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards... engineering sciences and, as the lead Federal agency for technology transfer, it provides a strong interface...

  15. Transitioning from Expository Laboratory Experiments to Course-Based Undergraduate Research in General Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Ted M.; Ricciardo, Rebecca; Weaver, Tyler

    2016-01-01

    General chemistry courses predominantly use expository experiments that shape student expectations of what a laboratory activity entails. Shifting within a semester to course-based undergraduate research activities that include greater decision-making, collaborative work, and "messy" real-world data necessitates a change in student…

  16. Intervention Fidelity in Special and General Education Research Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, Elizabeth; Wanzek, Jeanne; Haring, Christa; Ciullo, Stephen; McCulley, Lisa

    2013-01-01

    Treatment fidelity reporting practices are described for journals that published general and special education intervention research with high impact factors from 2005 through 2009. The authors reviewed research articles, reported the proportion of intervention studies that described fidelity measurement, detailed the components of fidelity…

  17. The Role of Academic Developers in Embedding High-Impact Undergraduate Research and Inquiry in Mainstream Higher Education: Twenty Years' Reflection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Healey, Mick; Jenkins, Alan

    2018-01-01

    The focus of this article is on the role of academic developers in supporting and influencing undergraduate research and inquiry, a high-impact activity. We examine the levels at which academic developers can influence undergraduate research and inquiry practices by distinguishing between staff and student practices; disciplinary and departmental…

  18. Ten Salient Practices of Undergraduate Research Mentors: A Review of the Literature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanahan, Jenny Olin; Ackley-Holbrook, Elizabeth; Hall, Eric; Stewart, Kearsley; Walkington, Helen

    2015-01-01

    This paper identifies salient practices of faculty mentors of undergraduate research (UR) as indicated in the extensive literature of the past two decades on UR. The well-established benefits for students involved in UR are dependent, first and foremost, on high-quality mentoring. Mentorship is a defining feature of UR. As more and different types…

  19. Bibliometric analysis of health services research in otolaryngology journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Gordon H

    2012-11-01

    Determine current health services research (HSR) publication trends in major general otolaryngology journals. Bibliometric analysis. All main issues of 8 high-impact general-interest otolaryngology journals published worldwide in 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2011 were searched for HSR-related publications. To qualify as HSR, the abstract of the article must discuss access to care, cost, delivery of care, financing, health organizational or system issues, quality of care, resource utilization, and/or health outcomes. Otolaryngology topics were classified as general, pediatrics, oncology, otology and neurotology, sleep disorders, sinonasal disease, facial plastics, and/or laryngology. Other key measures included study authorship and external sponsorship or mechanism of support. Of 5958 total articles, 449 (7.5%) qualified as HSR. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of HSR publications across all journals from 2002 to 2011 (P research (337, 75.1%) was the most common type of HSR being published. The most common subject was oncology (112, 24.9%), whereas the least represented was trauma and facial plastics (4, 0.9%). First and corresponding authors were based in 31 countries, although the United States was the predominant country of origin. Nearly 95% of HSR articles in the current sample demonstrated multidisciplinary authorship. An estimated 22.9% of first authors and 17.8% of corresponding authors were female. Two-thirds of HSR publications reported no external sponsor, whereas the remainder was supported most commonly by philanthropy and hospital-based sources. Health services research is an international, multidisciplinary field of inquiry with an increasing presence in major otolaryngology journals.

  20. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Lecture Capture: Lessons Learned from an Undergraduate Political Research Class

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, James C.

    2015-01-01

    This article presents the results of a 4-year quasi-experimental study of the effectiveness of lecture capture in an undergraduate political research class. Students self-enrolled in either a traditional in-class lecture-discussion section or a fully online section of a required political research course. The class sessions from the in-class…

  1. Developing Research Paper Writing Programs for EFL/ESL Undergraduate Students Using Process Genre Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuyen, Kim Thanh; Bin Osman, Shuki; Dan, Thai Cong; Ahmad, Nor Shafrin Binti

    2016-01-01

    Research Paper Writing (RPW) plays a key role in completing all research work. Poor writing could lead to the postponement of publications. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a program of (RPW) to improve RPW ability for EFL/ESL writers, especially for undergraduate students in Higher Education (HE) institutions, which has caught less attention…

  2. Journal club: Integrating research awareness into postgraduate nurse training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clare Davis

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Evidence-based nursing requires nurses to maintain an awareness of recently published research findings to integrate into their clinical practice. In the South African setting keeping up with recent literature has additional challenges, including the diversity of nurses’ home language, geographically foreign origins of published work, and limited economic resources. Students enrolled in a postgraduate programme came from various paediatric settings and displayed limited awareness of nursing literature as an evidence base for practice. Objectives: The study aimed to design and introduce a journal club as an educational strategy into the postgraduate programmes in children’s nursing at the University of Cape Town (UCT, and then to refine the way it is used to best serve programme outcomes and facilitate student learning whilst still being an enjoyable activity. Method: An action research methodology using successive cycles of ‘assess-plan-act-observe’ was used to design, implement and refine the structure of a journal club within the postgraduate diploma programme over four academic years. Six educators actively tracked and reflected on journal club sessions, and then analysed findings during and after each annual cycle to plan improvement and increasing programme alignment. Results: Considerable refinement of the intervention included changing how it was structured, the preparation required by both students and educators, the article selection process and the intervention’s alignment with other learning activities in the programme. Conclusion: Journal club facilitated an increase in student awareness and reading of nursing literature, offering the opportunity to consider application of published research to current nursing practice. Another benefit was enabling students to become familiar with the specialised and technical language of research, children’s nursing and the critical care of children and neonates, by speaking

  3. Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Estuarine and Atmospheric Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aller, J. Y.

    2009-12-01

    Our program in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University is unique in emphasizing the interdisciplinary study of coastal ocean and atmospheric processes. We attract a large number of both male and female undergraduate applicants representing diverse ethnic groups from across the country. Many are multi-discipline majors merging geology, biology, chemistry, or physics with engineering, and/or mathematics and welcome the opportunity to combine their academic training to examine environmental problems. Our goal is a program reflective of today’s world and environmental challenges, one that provides a ‘hands-on’ research experience which illustrates the usefulness of scientific research for understanding real-world problems or phenomena, and one in which students are challenged to apply their academic backgrounds to develop intuition about natural systems and processes. Projects this past summer focused on assessing climate change and its effects on coastal environments and processes. Projects addressed the implications of a changing global climate over the next 50 years on hydrologic cycles and coastal environments like barrier islands and beaches, on seasonal weather conditions and extreme events, on aerosols and the Earth’s radiative balance, and on aquatic habitats and biota. Collaborative field and laboratory or computer-based projects involving two or three REU students, graduate students, and several mentors, enable undergraduate students appreciate the importance of teamwork in addressing specific scientific questions or gaining maximum insight into a particular phenomenon or process. We believe that our approach allows students to understand what their role will be as scientists in the next phase of our earth’s evolution.

  4. Applying Open Researchers and Contributors ID in scholarly journals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeonghee Im

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Open Researchers and Contributors ID (ORCID launched its registry services in October 2012. Consequently, adding personal information to the ORCID registry became routine work for researchers. To add ORCID to an online article, the tag needs to be included in the Journal Article Tag Suite extensible markup language file, if such a file has been produced by the publisher. Subsequently, all co-authors’ ORCID can be easily and conveniently collected and then integrated into the manuscript management system. In the current age of information and the Internet, journals need to keep pace with the surge of new standards and technologies. Editors should be able to accept and apply these new systems rapidly.

  5. Instructor-Created Activities to Engage Undergraduate Nursing Research Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierce, Linda L; Reuille, Kristina M

    2018-03-01

    In flipped or blended classrooms, instruction intentionally shifts to a student-centered model for a problem-based learning approach, where class time explores topics in greater depth, creating meaningful learning opportunities. This article describes instructor-created activities focused on research processes linked to evidence-based practice that engage undergraduate nursing research students. In the classroom, these activities include individual and team work to foster critical thinking and stimulate student discussion of topic material. Six activities for small and large student groups are related to quantitative, qualitative, and both research processes, as well as applying research evidence to practice. Positive student outcomes included quantitative success on assignments and robust student topic discussions, along with instructor-noted overall group engagement and interest. Using these activities can result in class time for the construction of meaning, rather than primarily information transmission. Instructors may adopt these activities to involve and stimulate students' critical thinking about research and evidence-based practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(3):174-177.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

  6. A Decade of Literacy Research in the "Journal of Educational Research".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knudson, Ruth E.; Theurer, Joan Leikam; Boyd-Batstone, Paul

    A total of 378 articles were published in the "Journal of Educational Research" from 1990-1999. Ninety-seven (26%) focused on literacy. Information was categorized for each article with respect to authors' gender, multiple versus single authorship, study design, use of statistics, age of subjects, number of subjects, and kind of…

  7. Undergraduate Use of Library Databases Decreases as Level of Study Progresses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimberly Miller

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available A Review of: Mbabu, L.G., Bertram, A. B., & Varnum, K. (2013. Patterns of undergraduates’ use of scholarly databases in a large research university. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39(2, 189-193. http://dx.doi.org/10.10.1016/j.acalib.2012.10.004 Abstract Objective – To investigate undergraduate students’ patterns of electronic database use to discover whether database use increases as undergraduate students progress into later stages of study with increasingly sophisticated information needs and demands. Design – User database authentication log analysis. Setting – A large research university in the Midwestern United States of America. Subjects – A total of 26,208 undergraduate students enrolled during the Fall 2009 academic semester. Methods – The researchers obtained logs of user-authenticated activity from the university’s databases. Logged data for each user included: the user’s action and details of that action (including database searches, the time of action, the user’s relationship to the university, the individual school in which the user was enrolled, and the user’s class standing. The data were analyzed to determine which proportion of undergraduate students accessed the library’s electronic databases. The study reports that the logged data accounted for 61% of all database activity, and the authors suggest the other 39% of use is likely from “non-undergraduate members of the research community within the [university’s] campus IP range” (192. Main Results – The study found that 10,897 (42% of the subject population of undergraduate students accessed the library’s electronic databases. The study also compared database access by class standing, and found that freshman undergraduates had the highest proportion of database use, with 56% of enrolled freshman accessing the library’s databases. Sophomores had the second highest proportion of students accessing the databases at 40%; juniors and seniors

  8. Animal research in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Timothy L; Poling, Alan

    2011-01-01

    This review summarizes the 6 studies with nonhuman animal subjects that have appeared in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and offers suggestions for future research in this area. Two of the reviewed articles described translational research in which pigeons were used to illustrate and examine behavioral phenomena of applied significance (say-do correspondence and fluency), 3 described interventions that changed animals' behavior (self-injury by a baboon, feces throwing and spitting by a chimpanzee, and unsafe trailer entry by horses) in ways that benefited the animals and the people in charge of them, and 1 described the use of trained rats that performed a service to humans (land-mine detection). We suggest that each of these general research areas merits further attention and that the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis is an appropriate outlet for some of these publications.

  9. Lab notebooks as scientific communication: Investigating development from undergraduate courses to graduate research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacob T. Stanley

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In experimental physics, lab notebooks play an essential role in the research process. For all of the ubiquity of lab notebooks, little formal attention has been paid to addressing what is considered “best practice” for scientific documentation and how researchers come to learn these practices in experimental physics. Using interviews with practicing researchers, namely, physics graduate students, we explore the different experiences researchers had in learning how to effectively use a notebook for scientific documentation. We find that very few of those interviewed thought that their undergraduate lab classes successfully taught them the benefit of maintaining a lab notebook. Most described training in lab notebook use as either ineffective or outright missing from their undergraduate lab course experience. Furthermore, a large majority of those interviewed explained that they did not receive any formal training in maintaining a lab notebook during their graduate school experience and received little to no feedback from their advisors on these records. Many of the interviewees describe learning the purpose of, and how to maintain, these kinds of lab records only after having a period of trial and error, having already started doing research in their graduate program. Despite the central role of scientific documentation in the research enterprise, these physics graduate students did not gain skills in documentation through formal instruction, but rather through informal hands-on practice.

  10. The use of podcasts to enhance research-teaching linkages in undergraduate nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strickland, Karen; Gray, Colin; Hill, Gordon

    2012-07-01

    An understanding of research is important to enable nurses to provide evidence-based care. However, undergraduate nursing students often find research a challenging subject. The purpose of this paper is to present an evaluation of the introduction of podcasts in an undergraduate research module to enhance research-teaching linkages between the theoretical content and research in practice and improve the level of student support offered in a blended learning environment. Two cohorts of students (n=228 and n=233) were given access to a series of 5 "guest speaker" podcasts made up of presentations and interviews with research experts within Edinburgh Napier. These staff would not normally have contact with students on this module, but through the podcasts were able to share their research expertise and methods with our learners. The main positive results of the podcasts suggest the increased understanding achieved by students due to the multi-modal delivery approach, a more personal student/tutor relationship leading to greater engagement, and the effective use of materials for revision and consolidation purposes. Negative effects of the podcasts centred around problems with the technology, most often difficulty in downloading and accessing the material. This paper contributes to the emerging knowledge base of podcasting in nurse education by demonstrating how podcasts can be used to enhance research-teaching linkages and raises the question of why students do not exploit the opportunities for mobile learning. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Undergraduate Research Opportunities in OSS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boldyreff, Cornelia; Capiluppi, Andrea; Knowles, Thomas; Munro, James

    Using Open Source Software (OSS) in undergraduate teaching in universities is now commonplace. Students use OSS applications and systems in their courses on programming, operating systems, DBMS, web development to name but a few. Studying OSS projects from both a product and a process view also forms part of the software engineering curriculum at various universities. Many students have taken part in OSS projects as well as developers.

  12. Patterns of symptom control and palliative care-focused original research articles in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology *Biology* Physics and the Radiotherapy and Oncology Journal, 2005-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Diana D; DiGiovanni, Julia; Skamene, Sonia; Noveroske Philbrick, Sarah; Wang, Yanbing; Barnes, Elizabeth A; Chow, Edward; Sullivan, Adam; Balboni, Tracy A

    2018-04-01

    A significant portion of radiation treatment (30-40%) is delivered with palliative intent. Given the frequency of palliative care (PC) in radiation oncology, we determined the patterns of research focusing on symptom control and palliative care (SCPC) in two prominent radiation oncology journals from 2005-2014. Original research manuscripts published from 2005-2014 in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology *Biology* Physics (Red Journal) and the Radiotherapy and Oncology Journal (Green Journal) were reviewed to categorize articles as PC and/or SCPC. Articles were categorized as PC if it pertained to any aspect of treatment of metastatic cancer, and as SCPC if symptom control in the metastatic cancer setting was the goal of the research inquiry and/or any domain of palliative clinical practice guidelines was the goal of research inquiry. From 2005-2014, 4.9% (312/6,386) of original research articles published in the Red Journal and 3.5% (84/2,406) published in the Green Journal pertained to metastatic cancer, and were categorized as PC. In the Red Journal, 1.3% (84/6,386) of original research articles were categorized as SCPC; 1.3% (32/2,406) of articles in the Green Journal were categorized as SCPC. There was no trend observed in the proportion of SCPC articles published over time in the Red Journal (P=0.76), the Green Journal (P=0.48), or both journals in aggregate (P=0.38). Despite the fact that palliative radiotherapy is a critical part of radiation oncology practice, PC and SCPC-focused original research is poorly represented in the Red Journal and the Green Journal.

  13. Technical editing of research reports in biomedical journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wager, Elizabeth; Middleton, Philippa

    2008-10-08

    Most journals try to improve their articles by technical editing processes such as proof-reading, editing to conform to 'house styles', grammatical conventions and checking accuracy of cited references. Despite the considerable resources devoted to technical editing, we do not know whether it improves the accessibility of biomedical research findings or the utility of articles. This is an update of a Cochrane methodology review first published in 2003. To assess the effects of technical editing on research reports in peer-reviewed biomedical journals, and to assess the level of accuracy of references to these reports. We searched The Cochrane Library Issue 2, 2007; MEDLINE (last searched July 2006); EMBASE (last searched June 2007) and checked relevant articles for further references. We also searched the Internet and contacted researchers and experts in the field. Prospective or retrospective comparative studies of technical editing processes applied to original research articles in biomedical journals, as well as studies of reference accuracy. Two review authors independently assessed each study against the selection criteria and assessed the methodological quality of each study. One review author extracted the data, and the second review author repeated this. We located 32 studies addressing technical editing and 66 surveys of reference accuracy. Only three of the studies were randomised controlled trials. A 'package' of largely unspecified editorial processes applied between acceptance and publication was associated with improved readability in two studies and improved reporting quality in another two studies, while another study showed mixed results after stricter editorial policies were introduced. More intensive editorial processes were associated with fewer errors in abstracts and references. Providing instructions to authors was associated with improved reporting of ethics requirements in one study and fewer errors in references in two studies, but no

  14. Promoting transparent and accurate reporting of research studies in rheumatology: endorsement of reporting guidelines in rheumatology journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marušić, Ana; Gasparyan, Armen Yuri; Kitas, George D

    2013-10-01

    To adequately translate research into practice, research results should be reported in a way that is useful to practicing clinicians and policymakers. Based on evidence from systematic reviews, the implementation of reporting guidelines, such as CONSORT for randomized controlled trials, may improve the quality of research reporting. We assessed the endorsement of reporting guidelines in rheumatology journals. We analyzed guidelines for authors of all (n = 28) journals indexed in the "Rheumatology" Subject Category of the Journal Citation Reports published in 2012. Journal websites were reviewed for information relevant to reporting guidelines. Out of 28 indexed journals, only about a third (n = 10) endorsed 1 or more reporting guidelines, most commonly CONSORT. General editorial policies, such as those from the International Committee of Medical Journal editors (ICMJE), were endorsed by 19 journals (all 10 journals with and 9 out of 18 without reporting guidelines). Two rheumatology journals introduced specific reporting guidelines about economic studies and genetic association studies. The endorsement of reporting guidelines is low in rheumatology journals. To continue to serve their research community, rheumatology journals should provide the platform for the discussion on most relevant reporting guidelines and adopt them as a group, especially those specific for rheumatology research. Coordinated action of journals and other stakeholders in rheumatology research in the promotion of accurate and transparent reporting of health research studies would be an important part of knowledge translation into practice and well-being of rheumatology patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Welcome to Journal of Foot and Ankle Research: a new open access journal for foot health professionals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Borthwick Alan M

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Journal of Foot and Ankle Research (JFAR is a new, open access, peer-reviewed online journal that encompasses all aspects of policy, organisation, delivery and clinical practice related to the assessment, diagnosis, prevention and management of foot and ankle disorders. JFAR will cover a wide range of clinical subject areas, including diabetology, paediatrics, sports medicine, gerontology and geriatrics, foot surgery, physical therapy, dermatology, wound management, radiology, biomechanics and bioengineering, orthotics and prosthetics, as well the broad areas of epidemiology, policy, organisation and delivery of services related to foot and ankle care. The journal encourages submission from all health professionals who manage lower limb conditions, including podiatrists, nurses, physical therapists and physiotherapists, orthopaedists, manual therapists, medical specialists and general medical practitioners, as well as health service researchers concerned with foot and ankle care. All manuscripts will undergo open peer review, and all accepted manuscripts will be freely available on-line using the open access platform of BioMed Central.

  16. From the high ground to the swamp: A model for immersive journalism research

    OpenAIRE

    Niblock, S

    2015-01-01

    This article examines a reflexive, praxis-based methodology for conducting journalism research from a practitioner-academic perspective. Journalism research methods that are interactive, iterative and which rest on a dynamic communicative partnership between academics and practitioners, offer the best way for understanding change in our dynamic field. This permits the researcher to coalesce and strengthen their identity as a practitioner-academic and develop research projects that are mutuall...

  17. "On the job" learning: A bioinformatics course incorporating undergraduates in actual research projects and manuscript submissions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jason T; Harris, Justine C; Lopez, Oscar J; Valverde, Laura; Borchert, Glen M

    2015-01-01

    The sequencing of whole genomes and the analysis of genetic information continues to fundamentally change biological and medical research. Unfortunately, the people best suited to interpret this data (biologically trained researchers) are commonly discouraged by their own perceived computational limitations. To address this, we developed a course to help alleviate this constraint. Remarkably, in addition to equipping our undergraduates with an informatic toolset, we found our course design helped prepare our students for collaborative research careers in unexpected ways. Instead of simply offering a traditional lecture- or laboratory-based course, we chose a guided inquiry method, where an instructor-selected research question is examined by students in a collaborative analysis with students contributing to experimental design, data collection, and manuscript reporting. While students learn the skills needed to conduct bioinformatic research throughout all sections of the course, importantly, students also gain experience in working as a team and develop important communication skills through working with their partner and the class as a whole, and by contributing to an original research article. Remarkably, in its first three semesters, this novel computational genetics course has generated 45 undergraduate authorships across three peer-reviewed articles. More importantly, the students that took this course acquired a positive research experience, newfound informatics technical proficiency, unprecedented familiarity with manuscript preparation, and an earned sense of achievement. Although this course deals with analyses of genetic systems, we suggest the basic concept of integrating actual research projects into a 16-week undergraduate course could be applied to numerous other research-active academic fields. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  18. Animal Research in the "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Timothy L.; Poling, Alan

    2011-01-01

    This review summarizes the 6 studies with nonhuman animal subjects that have appeared in the "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" and offers suggestions for future research in this area. Two of the reviewed articles described translational research in which pigeons were used to illustrate and examine behavioral phenomena of applied significance…

  19. A conference experience for undergraduates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collins, L.A.; Magee, N.H.; Bryant, H.C.; Zeilik, M.

    1999-01-01

    Programs launched by many universities and the federal government expose many undergraduate students in the physical sciences to research early in their careers. However, in their research experiences, undergraduates are not usually introduced to the modes by which scientific knowledge, which they may have helped gather, is communicated and evaluated by working scientists. Nor is it always made clear where the research frontiers really lie. To this end, we guided a selected group of undergraduates through a national scientific conference, followed by a week of tutorials and discussions to help them better understand what had transpired. The program complemented the basic undergraduate research endeavors by emphasizing the importance of disseminating results both to other scientists and to society in general. Tutors and discussion leaders in the second week were experts in their fields and included some of the invited speakers from the main meeting. A considerable improvement in the understanding of the issues and prospects for a career in physics was discernible among the students after their two-week experience. copyright 1999 American Association of Physics Teachers

  20. Bridging the Gap: A Research-Based Approach for Teaching Interdisciplinary Science to Undergraduate Freshman Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sales, Jessica; Comeau, Dawn; Liddle, Kathleen; Khanna, Nikki; Perrone, Lisa; Palmer, Katrina; Lynn, David

    2006-01-01

    A new program, On Recent Discoveries by Emory Researchers (ORDER), has been developed as a bridge across the ever-widening gap between graduate and undergraduate education in the sciences. This bridge is created by merging the needs of graduate/postdoctoral students to educate more interdisciplinary scholars about their research discoveries with…

  1. Implementation and Assessment of Undergraduate Experiences in SOAP: An Atmospheric Science Research and Education Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopper, Larry J., Jr.; Schumacher, Courtney; Stachnik, Justin P.

    2013-01-01

    The Student Operational Aggie Doppler Radar Project (SOAP) involved 95 undergraduates in a research and education program to better understand the climatology of storms in southeast Texas from 2006-2010. This paper describes the structure, components, and implementation of the 1-credit-hour research course, comparing first-year participants'…

  2. Integration of NASA Research into Undergraduate Education in Math, Science, Engineering and Technology at North Carolina A&T State University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monroe, Joseph; Kelkar, Ajit

    2003-01-01

    The NASA PAIR program incorporated the NASA-Sponsored research into the undergraduate environment at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. This program is designed to significantly improve undergraduate education in the areas of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology (MSET) by directly benefiting from the experiences of NASA field centers, affiliated industrial partners and academic institutions. The three basic goals of the program were enhancing core courses in MSET curriculum, upgrading core-engineering laboratories to compliment upgraded MSET curriculum, and conduct research training for undergraduates in MSET disciplines through a sophomore shadow program and through Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs. Since the inception of the program nine courses have been modified to include NASA related topics and research. These courses have impacted over 900 students in the first three years of the program. The Electrical Engineering circuit's lab is completely re-equipped to include Computer controlled and data acquisition equipment. The Physics lab is upgraded to implement better sensory data acquisition to enhance students understanding of course concepts. In addition a new instrumentation laboratory in the department of Mechanical Engineering is developed. Research training for A&T students was conducted through four different programs: Apprentice program, Developers program, Sophomore Shadow program and Independent Research program. These programs provided opportunities for an average of forty students per semester.

  3. Implementation of a Collaborative Series of Classroom-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Spanning Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, and Neurobiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowalski, Jennifer R; Hoops, Geoffrey C; Johnson, R Jeremy

    2016-01-01

    Classroom undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide students access to the measurable benefits of undergraduate research experiences (UREs). Herein, we describe the implementation and assessment of a novel model for cohesive CUREs focused on central research themes involving faculty research collaboration across departments. Specifically, we implemented three collaborative CUREs spanning chemical biology, biochemistry, and neurobiology that incorporated faculty members' research interests and revolved around the central theme of visualizing biological processes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme activity and neural signaling using fluorescent molecules. Each CURE laboratory involved multiple experimental phases and culminated in novel, open-ended, and reiterative student-driven research projects. Course assessments showed CURE participation increased students' experimental design skills, attitudes and confidence about research, perceived understanding of the scientific process, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. More than 75% of CURE students also engaged in independent scientific research projects, and faculty CURE contributors saw substantial increases in research productivity, including increased undergraduate student involvement and academic outputs. Our collaborative CUREs demonstrate the advantages of multicourse CUREs for achieving increased faculty research productivity and traditional CURE-associated student learning and attitude gains. Our collaborative CURE design represents a novel CURE model for ongoing laboratory reform that benefits both faculty and students. © 2016 J. R. Kowalski et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  4. Undergraduate Student Involvement in International Research - The IRES Program at MAX-lab, Sweden

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briscoe, William; O'Rielly, Grant; Fissum, Kevin

    2014-03-01

    Undergraduate students associated with The George Washington University and UMass Dartmouth have had the opportunity to participate in nuclear physics research as a part of the PIONS@MAXLAB Collaboration performing experiments at MAX-lab at Lund University in Sweden. This project has supported thirteen undergraduate students during 2009 - 2011. The student researchers are involved with all aspects of the experiments performed at the laboratory, from set-up to analysis and presentation at national conferences. These experiments investigate the dynamics responsible for the internal structure of the nucleon through the study of pion photoproduction off the nucleon and high-energy Compton scattering. Along with the US and Swedish project leaders, members of the collaboration (from four different countries) have contributed to the training and mentoring of these students. This program provides students with international research experiences that prepare them to operate successfully in a global environment and encourages them to stay in areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) that are crucial for our modern, technology-dependent society. We will present the history, goals and outcomes in both physics results and student success that have come from this program. This work supported by NSF OISE/IRES award 0553467.

  5. Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment lays emphasis on ... issues in different aspects of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Management, Agriculture, ... Ethnobotanical assessment of plants used for the treatment of endocrine disorder ... esculenta Crantz) cultivated in crude-oil- contaminated soil in Nigeria ...

  6. Revista de Investigacion Educativa (Journal of Educational Research).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Revista de Investigacion Educativa, 1997

    1997-01-01

    The two issues of this journal include the following articles (Titles are translated into English): "General Panorama of Research on Intercultural Education in Europe" (Margarita Bartolome Pina); "Incidence of Some Educational, Social, and Affective Factors in Alcohol Consumption by Teenagers" (Elvira Repetto Talavera, Ma.…

  7. "Mentoring Is Sharing the Excitement of Discovery": Faculty Perceptions of Undergraduate Research Mentoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandermaas-Peeler, Maureen; Miller, Paul C.; Peeples, Tim

    2015-01-01

    Although an increasing number of studies have examined students' participation in undergraduate research (UR), little is known about faculty perceptions of mentoring in this context. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate four aspects of mentoring UR, including how faculty define high-quality UR mentoring and operationalize it in…

  8. Ethical Review of Undergraduate Student Research Projects: A Proportionate, Transparent and Efficient Process?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hack, Catherine J.

    2012-01-01

    Undergraduate research projects in the life sciences encompass a broad range of studies, some of which may require the participation of human subjects or other activities which may raise ethical concerns. As universities are accountable for all projects undertaken under their auspices they must ensure that these projects adhere to legal…

  9. Research Experience for Undergraduates Program in Multidisciplinary Environmental Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, M. S.

    2012-12-01

    During summers 2011 and 12 Montclair State University hosted a Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (REU) in transdisciplinary, hands-on, field-oriented research in environmental sciences. Participants were housed at the Montclair State University's field station situated in the middle of 30,000 acres of mature forest, mountain ridges and freshwater streams and lakes within the Kittatinny Mountains of Northwest New Jersey, Program emphases were placed on development of project planning skills, analytical skills, creativity, critical thinking and scientific report preparation. Ten students were recruited in spring with special focus on recruiting students from underrepresented groups and community colleges. Students were matched with their individual research interests including hydrology, erosion and sedimentation, environmental chemistry, and ecology. In addition to research activities, lectures, educational and recreational field trips, and discussion on environmental ethics and social justice played an important part of the program. The ultimate goal of the program is to facilitate participants' professional growth and to stimulate the participants' interests in pursuing Earth Science as the future career of the participants.

  10. Authentic Science Research Opportunities: How Do Undergraduate Students Begin Integration into a Science Community of Practice?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Grant E.; Forrester, Jennifer H.; Jeffrey, Penny Shumaker; Ferzli, Miriam; Shea, Damian

    2015-01-01

    The goal of the study described was to understand the process and degree to which an undergraduate science research program for rising college freshmen achieved its stated objectives to integrate participants into a community of practice and to develop students' research identities.

  11. Humanities in undergraduate medical education: a literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ousager, Jakob; Johannessen, Helle

    2010-06-01

    Humanities form an integral part of undergraduate medical curricula at numerous medical schools all over the world, and medical journals publish a considerable quantity of articles in this field. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the literature on humanities in undergraduate medical education seeks to provide evidence of a long-term impact of this integration of humanities in undergraduate medical education. Medline was searched for publications concerning the humanities in undergraduate medical education appearing from January 2000 to December 2008. All articles were manually sorted by the authors. Two hundred forty-five articles were included in the study. Following a qualitative analysis, the references included were categorized as "pleading the case," "course descriptions and evaluations," "seeking evidence of long-term impact," or "holding the horses." Two hundred twenty-four articles out of 245 either praised the (potential) effects of humanities on medical education or described existing or planned courses without offering substantial evidence of any long-term impact of these curricular activities on medical proficiency. Only 9 articles provided evidence of attempts to document long-term impacts using diverse test tools, and 10 articles presented relatively reserved attitudes toward humanities in undergraduate medical education. Evidence on the positive long-term impacts of integrating humanities into undergraduate medical education is sparse. This may pose a threat to the continued development of humanities-related activities in undergraduate medical education in the context of current demands for evidence to demonstrate educational effectiveness.

  12. Published research studies conducted amongst Indian medical undergraduate students: Bibliometric Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandeep Sachdeva

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Evaluation of published original research conducted amongst Indian medical undergraduate students. Methodology: A systematic review was undertaken using keywords “MBBS students” or “medical students” or “health students” or “university students” and “India” through search engines, PUBMED and Google scholar. Considering feasibility, time frame of published original research article was restricted to one-year only i.e. 2016. Research domain, research design, author and other bibliometric details of research manuscript were captured using check-list and analysis carried out using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 99 suitable original research articles were identified under certain criteria and considered in present analysis. With regard to thematic research domain, highest, 29 (29.2% articles were related to teaching and learning process followed by 13 (13.1% to mental health (depression, anxiety, sleep, spirituality of students; 07 (7.0% were based on physical fitness/ exercise/yoga; and substance abuse (6.0% amongst medical students etc. Nearly, 86 (86.8% of articles were cross-sectional descriptive based studies while 13 (13.1% had intervention based research design. A total of 34 (34.3% research articles could be labeled as “KAP” (knowledge, attitude and practice survey. Department wise detail of corresponding author was largely dominated by faculty from pre and para-clinical departments. Highest was community medicine in (35.3% articles, pharmacology (23.2%, physiology (17.1%, microbiology (6.0%, and biochemistry (4.0% etc. The studies covered an average sample size of 188.8 MBBS students (20-360, range; 57.5% of research article covered students from only one professional year. However, in 42 (42.4% articles there was no further mention of gender based sample information. Out of all the references used in research articles, only 57.3% were of recent (2005-2015 origin while the rest were from older

  13. Impact factor evolution of nursing research journals: 2009 to 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cáceres, Macarena C; Guerrero-Martín, Jorge; González-Morales, Borja; Pérez-Civantos, Demetrio V; Carreto-Lemus, Maria A; Durán-Gómez, Noelia

    The use of bibliometric indicators (impact factor [IF], impact index, h-index, etc.) is now believed to be a fundamental measure of the quality of scientific research output. In this context, the presence of scientific nursing journals in international databases and the factors influencing their impact ratings is being widely analyzed. The aim of this study was to analyze the presence of scientific nursing journals in international databases and track the changes in their IF. A secondary analysis was carried out on data for the years 2009 to 2014 held in the JCR database (subject category: nursing). Additionally, the presence of scientific nursing journals in Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, and SJR was analyzed. During the period studied, the number of journals indexed in the JCR under the nursing subject category increased from 70 in 2009 (mean IF: 0.99, standard deviation: 0.53) to 115 in 2014 (mean IF: 1.04, standard deviation: 0.42), of which only 70 were listed for the full six years. Although mean IF showed an upward trend throughout this time, no statistically significant differences were found in the variations to this figure. Although IF and other bibliometric indicators have their limitations, it is nonetheless true that bibliometry is now the most widely used tool for evaluating scientific output in all disciplines, including nursing, highlighting the importance of being familiar with how they are calculated and their significance when deciding the journal or journals in which to publish the results of our research. That said, it is also necessary to consider other possible alternative ways of assessing the quality and impact of scientific contributions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. A review of research papers in the Tropical Journals of Obstetrics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A review of research papers in the Tropical Journals of Obstetrics ... Promotion of relevant research in reproductive health and dissemination of research findings are ... Objective: To evaluate the pattern of study designs and range of scientific ...

  15. Journalism Educators, Their Students, and Local Media Practitioners: A Case Study Exploration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuban, Adam J.

    2014-01-01

    Journalism educators must make critical decisions about their undergraduate curricula, determining how to best prepare their students for professional careers. Present scholarship indicates that a disconnect exists in what journalism students think they ought to know and/or be able to do upon graduation, what educators think they must teach their…

  16. Book review | Manley | African Journal of AIDS Research

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Sizonqoba! Outliving AIDS in Southern Africa edited by Busani Ngcaweni 2016, Africa Institute of South Africa, 540 pages, ISBN: 9780798304993. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for ...

  17. Doing Publishable Research with Undergraduate Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenn, Aju J.; Johnson, Daniel K. N.; Smith, Mark Griffin; Stimpert, J. L.

    2010-01-01

    Many economics majors write a senior thesis. Although this experience can be the pinnacle of their education, publication is not the common standard for undergraduates. The authors describe four approaches that have allowed students to get their work published: (1) identify a topic, such as competitive balance in sports, and have students work on…

  18. The Undergraduate ALFALFA Team: Outcomes for Over 250 Undergraduate Participants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troischt, Parker; Koopmann, Rebecca A.; Haynes, Martha P.; ALFALFA Team

    2016-01-01

    The NSF-sponsored Undergraduate ALFALFA (Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA) Team (UAT) is a consortium of 19 institutions founded to promote undergraduate research and faculty development within the extragalactic ALFALFA HI blind survey project and follow-up programs. In this talk we present outcomes for the more than 250 undergraduate students who have who have participated in the program during the 8 years of funding. 40% of these students have been women and members of underrepresented groups. To date 148 undergraduate students have attended annual workshops at Arecibo Observatory, interacting with faculty, graduate students, their peers, and Arecibo staff in lectures, group activities, tours, and observing runs. Team faculty have supervised 159 summer research projects and 120 academic year (e.g., senior thesis) projects. 68 students have traveled to Arecibo Observatory for observing runs and 55 have presented their results at national meetings such as the AAS. Through participation in the UAT, students are made aware of career paths they may not have previously considered. More than 90% of alumni are attending graduate school and/or pursuing a career in STEM. 42% of those pursuing graduate degrees in Physics or Astronomy are women. This work has been supported by NSF grants AST-0724918/0902211, AST-075267/0903394, AST-0725380, and AST-1211005

  19. Journal Articles are the Most Widely Used Information Resource for Research and Teaching in all Academic Disciplines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dominique Daniel

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available A Review of: Borrego, Á., & Anglada, L. (2016. Faculty information behaviour in the electronic environment: Attitudes towards searching, publishing and libraries. New Library World, 117(3/4: 173-185. doi:10.1108/NLW-11-2015-0089 Objective – To determine faculty’s information behaviour and their perception of academic libraries in the current transition between print and electronic scholarly communication. Design – Online survey. Setting – A consortium of 12 large universities in Spain. Subjects – More than 17,380 faculty members. Methods – The researchers used a questionnaire based on a subset of the questionnaire used for the Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey, with 20 closed and 2 open-ended questions. The survey was implemented via Google Forms and sent through mailing lists. The number of recipients was not known, but university statistics for 11 of the 12 universities list 17,380 faculty (statistics were not available for one university, located in a different administrative area. The questions aimed to identify the types of documents used by scholars for teaching and research, the search tools used, the strategies used to keep up-to-date in their disciplines, preferences for print or electronic books, the sources used to access documents, their preferred channels to disseminate their own research, and their views regarding library services. Main Results – The response rate was 12.7%. Based on the results, scholarly journals were the most used information resource for research across all academic disciplines, with 94% of respondents rating them as important. For teaching, faculty preferred to use textbooks for undergraduates, and journal articles for Master’s students. To search the literature, faculty chose bibliographic databases and Internet search engines over the library catalog and physical collections, although the catalog was the first choice for known-item searches. Respondents favored print to read entire books or chapters

  20. Promoting Learning by Inquiry Among Undergraduates in Soil Sciences: Scaffolding From Project-based Courses to Student-Staff Research Grants by the National Research Agency in Oman

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Ismaily, Said; Kacimov, Anvar; Al-Maktoumi, Ali

    2016-04-01

    Three strategies in a soil science undergraduate programme with inquiry-based learning (IBL) principles at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, are presented. The first strategy scaffolds courses into three phases: with direct instructional guidance, structured IBL, and finally, guided to open IBL. The second strategy involves extra-curricular activities of undergraduates, viz. conducting workshops on soils for pupils in grades 7-9 with their teachers. The third strategy promotes the teaching-research nexus through collaboration between the undergraduates and faculty within a student-supporting, government-funded programme through 1-year long research grants of up to 5,500 US/project. The efficiency of the strategies was evaluated by students' evaluations of courses and instructors and questionnaire-based surveys. Statistics of students' responses in teaching evaluations of IBL courses showed a significantly higher level of satisfaction compared with regular courses taught in the department and college. In surveys of other constituencies of the program, viz. the secondary schools, more than 90% of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that they had learned new information/secrets about soils. The indicators of success in the third strategy are: winning a highly competitive grant and, moreover, earning an even more competitive annual national award for the best executed research project. The two top graduates of the IBL soil programme progressed into the MSc programme with the university and national scholarships. Key words: inquiry based learning, soil science undergraduate program, scaffold of courses, outreach activities, teaching-research nexus, evaluation of program's efficiency