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Merkle JA, Devergne O, Kelly SM, Croonquist PA, Evans CJ, Hwalek MA, Straub VL, Hamill DR, Peister A, Puthoff DP, Saville KJ, Siders JL, Villanueva Gonzalez ZJ, Wittke-Thompson JK, Bieser KL, Stamm J, Vrailas-Mortimer AD, Kagey JD. Fly-CURE, a multi-institutional CURE using Drosophila, increases students' confidence, sense of belonging, and persistence in research. J Microbiol Biol Educ 2023; 24:e00245-22. [PMID: 38107988 PMCID: PMC10720528 DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.00245-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Cory J. Evans
- Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Joyce Stamm
- University of Evansville, Evansville, Indiana, USA
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Evans CJ, Bieser KL, Acevedo-Vasquez KS, Augustine EJ, Bowen S, Casarez VA, Feliciano VI, Glazier A, Guinan HR, Hallman R, Haugan E, Hehr LA, Hunnicutt SN, Leifer I, Mauger M, Mauger M, Melendez NY, Milshteyn L, Moore E, Nguyen SA, Phanphouvong SC, Pinal DM, Pope HM, Salinas MBM, Shellin M, Small I, Yeoh NC, Yokomizo AM, Kagey JD. The I.3.2 developmental mutant has a single nucleotide deletion in the gene centromere identifier. MicroPubl Biol 2022; 2022:10.17912/micropub.biology.000653. [PMID: 36389120 PMCID: PMC9644223 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The mutation I.3.2 was previously identified in a FLP/FRT screen of chromosome 2R for conditional growth regulators. Here we report the phenotypic characterization and genetic mapping of I.3.2 by undergraduate students participating in Fly-CURE, a pedagogical program that teaches the science of genetics through a classroom research experience. We find that creation of I.3.2 cell clones in the developing eye-antennal imaginal disc causes a headless adult phenotype, suggestive of both autonomous and non-autonomous effects on cell growth or viability. We also identify the I.3.2 mutation as a loss-of-function allele of the gene centromere identifier ( cid ), which encodes centromere-specific histone H3 variant critical for chromosomal segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory J. Evans
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kayla L. Bieser
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | | | - Emyli J. Augustine
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Skyler Bowen
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | | | - Vanessa I. Feliciano
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Ashley Glazier
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Haley R. Guinan
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Randy Hallman
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Elizabeth Haugan
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lauren A. Hehr
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shawna N. Hunnicutt
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Isabella Leifer
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Meaghan Mauger
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Morgan Mauger
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Norma Y. Melendez
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Larry Milshteyn
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Eric Moore
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Sarah A. Nguyen
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - David M. Pinal
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | - Hailee M. Pope
- Department of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, NV, USA
| | | | - Matthew Shellin
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ivana Small
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Neelufar C. Yeoh
- Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Jacob D. Kagey
- Biology Department, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI, USA
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