Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURES) as a pathway to diversify science

Fly-CURE, a multi-institutional CURE using Drosophila, increases students' confidence, sense of belonging, and persistence in research

The Fly-CURE is a genetics-focused multi-institutional Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) that provides undergraduate students with hands-on research experiences within a course. Through the Fly-CURE, undergraduate students at diverse types of higher education institutions across the United States map and characterize novel mutants isolated from a genetic screen in Drosophila melanogaster. To date, more than 20 mutants have been studied across 20 institutions, and our scientific data have led to eleven publications with more than 500 students as authors. To evaluate the impact of the Fly-CURE experience on students, we developed and validated assessment tools to identify students' perceived research self-efficacy, sense of belonging in science, and intent to pursue additional research opportunities. Our data, collected over three academic years and involving 14 institutions and 480 students, show gains in these metrics after completion of the Fly-CURE across all student subgroups analyzed, including comparisons of gender, academic status, racial and ethnic groups, and parents' educational background. Importantly, our data also show differential gains in the areas of self-efficacy and interest in seeking additional research opportunities between Fly-CURE students with and without prior research experience, illustrating the positive impact of research exposure (dosage) on student outcomes. Altogether, our data indicate that the Fly-CURE experience has a significant impact on students' efficacy with research methods, sense of belonging to the scientific research community, and interest in pursuing additional research experiences.

Community involvement in addressing the antibiotic crisis

Increasing student interest and success in STEM education is a top priority for many postsecondary educational institutions. One well-documented approach to both priorities is to have students participate in a Course Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). Faculty from several technical colleges and universities in Wisconsin teamed up with the Tiny Earth organization to offer a CURE to address the search for new antibiotics. Students enrolled in undergraduate microbiology courses engaged in research and participated in community outreach. To involve the community, faculty from various institutions joined an NFL team, the Green Bay Packers, and created the Tiny Earth in Titletown symposium. Here, students presented their work via scientific posters, to community and industry members, and networked with other scientists from around the region. The Tiny Earth in Titletown symposium started in 2018, was held again in 2019, and returned in 2022 following a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Record attendance in 2022 suggests that community outreach and education may be helping restore trust in science that was lost during the pandemic.

Fly-CURE, a Multi-institutional CURE using Drosophila, Increases Students' Confidence, Sense of Belonging, and Persistence in Research

The Fly-CURE is a genetics-focused multi-institutional Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) that provides undergraduate students with hands-on research experiences within a course. Through the Fly-CURE, undergraduate students at diverse types of higher education institutions across the United States map and characterize novel mutants isolated from a genetic screen in Drosophila melanogaster. To evaluate the impact of the Fly-CURE experience on students, we developed and validated assessment tools to identify students' perceived research self-efficacy, sense of belonging in science, and intent to pursue additional research opportunities. Our data show gains in these metrics after completion of the Fly-CURE across all student subgroups analyzed, including comparisons of gender, academic status, racial and ethnic groups, and parents' educational background. Importantly, our data also show differential gains in the areas of self-efficacy and interest in seeking additional research opportunities between Fly-CURE students with and without prior research experience, illustrating the positive impact of research exposure (dosage) on student outcomes. Altogether, our data indicate that the Fly-CURE experience has a significant impact on students' efficacy with research methods, sense of belonging to the scientific community, and interest in pursuing additional research experiences.

Motivation, self-efficacy, perception, curiosity, and barriers toward medical research among undergraduates in China

Medical research is important to scientific progress and medical education. Institutions worldwide have sought to increase student involvement in research such as clinician-scientists training programs, while little is known about how medical undergraduates perceive research. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China, with first-fourth year undergraduates. An online, anonymous, and self-rating 5-point Likert questionnaire was conducted to investigate medical undergraduates' demographic characteristics and assess motivation, self-efficacy, perception, curiosity, and barriers regarding medical research. Content validity was checked with experts and face validity was checked for clarity and understanding of the questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the questions ranged from 0.813 to 0.879. A total of 3273 medical undergraduates were surveyed, and 86.62% (2835) participants (male 962, female 1873) were identified as effective. Males scored higher than females on self-efficacy (p < 0.001), perception (p = 0.017), and curiosity (p < 0.001), and lower on barriers (p < 0.001). The second year students are at the peak of their perception (p = 0.006) and lowest barrier scores (p = 0.003). Students with scientific research experience scored higher in motivation (p = 0.002), self-efficacy (p < 0.001), perception (p < 0.001), and curiosity (p < 0.001). Lack of proper mentoring opportunity (86.2%) and knowledge (84.5%) were the main barriers in conducting research. Even though they have a positive perspective, only a few undergraduates enrolled in research. Medical universities should encourage faculties to supervise and guide undergraduates' projects, and provide feasible solutions for students to learn scientific knowledge and skills. It is vital to build a research-oriented environment and academic atmosphere.