Progress 04/01/21 to 03/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes undergraduate students primarily from community colleges or other nonresearch institutions located in the Pacific Northwest and across the US. Recruiting efforts included dissemination via the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). Postings were also on the Pathways to Science: Institute for Broadening Participation website. Lastly, due to the recent pandemic, I emailed prior faculty advisors who had submitted letters of support in prior years and encouraged them to spread the word to interested students. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Laboratory safety training was required for all students engaged in laboratory research. Research mentors provided direct training related to specific research and education projects, and all students received professional development training through workshops focused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. Two workshops related to communication were provided including "How to Write an Abstract" and "How to Make a Poster". Bi-weekly meetings with PI Pressley and all of the students provided opportunities for students to explain their research to each other and to develop confidence in explaining their research. The end of the summer poster presentation (virtually) provided an opportunity for students to practice their technical communication skills. Other workshops provided to support their research skills included a workshop on protocols for maintaining a laboratory notebook throughout the summer, as well as a data wrangling workshop that was a 2.5-day (virtual) workshop designed to help students manage large datasets. Students were also invited to participate in a Global Climate change workshop as well. Students also received training in how to prepare and apply for graduate school. This workshop was hosted by the WSU graduate school. Finally, weekly brown-bags were offered to students in the program. These 1 hour lunch-time sessions were informal meetings with a WSU faculty member from various departments. The faculty members provided a summary of their research and information about their career choices. Some faculty had experience working in industry, at national laboratories, and in consulting, and all were able to share their advice and tips on navigating college, graduate school and career options. Some professional development opportunities were optional and others required; with the format ranging from formal presentations to informal discussions. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, all of the training sessions and workshops were done virtually. Students were allowed on campus to conduct research in a very limited manner. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Each student presented an oral presentation at the end of the summer during the WSU Undergraduate Research Symposium. Abstracts for their presentations are available on the website (Previous Summer Research Experiences Summer Research at WSU Washington State University). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A total of 3 students were trained in undergraduate research during a 9.5-week long internship during the summer of 2021. In addition to research and education training, students were provided with professional development opportunities including workshops focused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. At the conclusion of the summer internship, students presented their research via an online (virtual) symposium. The pandemic stay-at-home order and the fact that it was lifted for the summer 2021 undergraduate research program created a situation that had not been faced in previous years. Students expressed a high level of excitement for just being in-person, a concept that would not have been known for previous cohorts. As excited as they were for the research, students expressed even more eagerness to connect with peers. They reported a warm rapport among the co-hort. They were excited to develop their skills in the lab and field as well as socialize with their peers. Several students said that they did many activities as a whole, including going to the Student Recreation Center each night. Many students expressed interest in graduate school hoping their participation in the program would solidify their plans and interests. Qualitative assessment of participants reported great increases in knowledge related to "how to apply to graduate school" and "I know what it takes to succeed in graduate school" [Objective 6: STEM retention]; "communicating their research to someone that is not in the same field" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 7: Communication Skills]; The highest increases in knowledge were in "collaboration on a research project with a faculty member that is in a different field than their own" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 3: Broader Context]. Students were recruited via a national search and diversity included ethnic, gender, year in school, and students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities. A total of 3 students participated and diversity of the cohort included, 3 (100%) females, 3 (100%) underclassmen (freshman or sophomore), and 1 (33%) first generation college student [Objective 4: Diverse Students].
Publications
|
Progress 04/01/17 to 03/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes undergraduate students primarily from community colleges or other nonresearch institutions located in the Pacific Northwest and across the US. Recruiting efforts included visits to various community colleges located on the west side of the state and dissemination via the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). Postings were also on the Pathways to Science: Institute for Broadening Participation website. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Laboratory safety training was required for all students engaged in laboratory research. Research mentors provided direct training related to specific research and education projects, and all students received professional development training through workshops focused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. Two workshops related to communication were provided including "How to Write an Abstract" and "How to Make a Poster". Bi-weekly meetings with PI Pressley and all of the students provided opportunities for students to explain their research to each other and to develop confidence in explaining their research. The end of the summer poster symposium provided a formal opportunity for students to share their research results with the academic and scientific community. Students also received training in how to prepare and apply for graduate school. This workshop was hosted by the WSU graduate school. Finally, weekly brown-bags were offered to students in the program. These 1-hour lunch-time sessions were informal meetings with a WSU faculty member from various departments. The faculty members provided a summary of their research and information about their career choices. Some faculty had experience working in industry, at national laboratories, and in consulting, and all were able to share their advice and tips on navigating college, graduate school and career options. Some professional development opportunities were optional and others required; with the format ranging from formal presentations to informal discussions. During one summer, the students visited the Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL) and received a tour of their Biobased Processing Laboratories at the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory. Students were exposed to R&D taking place to convert biomass and underutilized carbon sources to fuels and chemicals. The trip also included a tour of the High Bay Facility (PDLW), where there are two engineering scale systems set up. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Each student presented either a poster or an oral presentation (2021) at the end of the summer during the WSU Undergraduate Research Symposium. Abstracts for their presentations are available on the website (Previous Summer Research Experiences Summer Research at WSU Washington State University). One student (Alexa Antalan) presented her research at the WSU Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA) on April 2, 2018 (https://surca.wsu.edu/). Her presentation won her a Novice award in the Engineering and Physical Sciences category. One student (Moira Duya) presented her poster at the 2018 AlChE Annual Student Conference on October 29, 2018. Her poster won first place in the Fuels, Petrochemicals and Energy category. A testimony of her conference experience is written below: It was such a great opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of fellow chemical engineering undergraduates, as this is not something I am able to experience often. There were 400 posters being presented at the Undergraduate Student Poster Competition, and about 10 different research areas, and it really emphasized the vast diversity of research that I could go into as a chemical engineer. This really piqued my interest in doing research again, and possibly going to graduate school, because I realized that my major is more flexible as I initially thought it was. A lot of people were interested in my work, and one person in particular discussed how his work requires a lot of cellulose, which is a costly material. He pointed out that if our research would reduce the cost of the production of cellulose, it would tremendously assist him in his efforts. Ultimately, I learned that research indirectly affects everyone, and an advancement in one industry is an advancement for all industries. -Moira Duya One student, Zacharary Kowaleski, presented his research at the 2019 annual AlChE student conference. A testimony of his conference experience is written below: AIChE was a very graduate-oriented conference, and I found it an incredibly valuable experience as a result. One of the biggest draws for me was a graduate school fair at the very beginning of the conference. I spent a few hours talking to dozens of universities about their chemical engineering graduate programs, strengths and focuses for PhD programs, their current environmental and catalysis work, and the personal experiences of current grad students with their university. It struck me how much each and every student could talk so genuinely and so passionately about their love for the graduate work they were doing, no matter what field they were working in or how they ended up there. I was able to get the names of a number of professors worth keeping in mind when I start applications last year, and I talked to a few professors who said they would be happy to help with my application and think I would be an excellent fit for their group. For the presentation itself, I was definitely very nervous going in. I realized quickly that most students had put a year or more into the research they were presenting on. Even still, I hit my stride quickly and had a great time presenting. Everybody I presented to said my research from this REU was incredibly interesting, and almost every one commented on how impressive the amount of data and results was, given it had been from only three months of research. A few recruiters came up to me and recommended me to apply to their college, based on how my research aligned with what they were doing in catalysis and wet oxidation technology. The conference had a major positive impact on my considerations of going to grad school. It made me realize how different applications were from undergrad college applications, how much more personal the process is, and how much more willing departments are willing to work with you to find a place in their programs. It made me feel like I was wanted as a grad student, and made me realize that with research already under my belt, graduate school is more of a natural next step rather than a leap in the dark. - Zach Kowaleski What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A total of 25 students were trained in the area of biofuels and bio-products research with an understanding of the importance of bioenergy literacy education during a 9.5-week long internship during the summers of 2017 - 2021 (note the program was not run during the summer of 2020 due to COVID). 6 undergraduates were trained at the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) on the development of educational materials for K-12 bioenergy lessons and 16 undergraduates focused on research related to the bio-based co-products industry. In addition to research and education training, students were provided with professional development opportunities including workshops focused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. At the conclusion of the summer internship, students presented their research via a poster symposium hosted at Washington State University for an all campus and community audience. Students were recruited via a national search and diversity included ethnic, gender, year in school, and students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities. A total of 25 students participated and diversity of the cohort included 10 (40%) underrepresented minorities, 15 (60%) females, 19 (76%) underclassmen (freshman or sophomore), and 10 (40%) students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities at their home institution [Objective 4: Diverse Students]. During the summer of 2017, qualitative assessment of participants reported great increases in knowledge related to "how to apply to graduate school" [Objective 6: STEM retention]; "communicating their research to someone that is not in the same field" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 7: Communication Skills]; and "collaboration on a research project with a faculty member that is in a different field than their own" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 3: Broader Context]. There were moderate gains in "understanding how to pursue a career in science or engineering" [Objectives 6: STEM retention and 8: Professional Development]; and "confidence for gathering the evidence necessary to evaluate a scientific hypothesis" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise and 2: Authentic Research]. During the summer of 2018, qualitative assessment of participants reported great increases in knowledge related to "know how to succeed in graduate school" [Objectives 6: STEM retention, 8: Professional Development]; "confident in my ability to work in interdisciplinary teams" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 7:Communication Skills]; and "comfortable gathering the evidence necessary to evaluate a scientific process" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 3: Broader Context]. There were moderate gains in "have collaborated on a research project with students in a program or field other than my own" [Objectives 2: Authentic Research, 3: Broader Context, 5: Socialization and 7: Communication Skills]; and "confidence for gathering the evidence necessary to evaluate a scientific hypothesis" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise and 2: Authentic Research]. During the summer of 2019, qualitative assessment of participants reported great increases in knowledge related to "how to apply to graduate school" and "know what it takes to succeed in graduate school" [Objective 6: STEM retention]; "communicating their research to someone that is not in the same field" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 7: Communication Skills]; and "collaboration on a research project with a faculty member that is in a different field than their own" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 3: Broader Context]. There were moderate gains in "being interested" and "understanding how to pursue a career in science or engineering" [Objectives 6: STEM retention and 8: Professional Development]; being "comfortable writing a research question" and having "confidence for gathering the evidence necessary to evaluate a scientific hypothesis" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise and 2: Authentic Research]; and giving "a presentation (oral, PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) that effectively summarizes [their] work" [Objective 8: Professional Development]. During the summer 2021, the pandemic stay-at-home order and the fact that it was lifted for the summer 2021 undergraduate research program created a situation that had not been faced in previous years. Students expressed a high level of excitement for just being in person, a concept that would not have been known for previous cohorts. As excited as they were for the research, students expressed even more eagerness to connect with peers. They reported a warm rapport among the co-hort. They were excited to develop their skills in the lab and field as well as socialize with their peers. Several students said that they did many activities as a whole, including going to the Student Recreation Center each night. Many students expressed interest in graduate school hoping their participation in the program would solidify their plans and interests. Qualitative assessment of participants in 2019 reported great increases in knowledge related to "how to apply to graduate school" and "I know what it takes to succeed in graduate school" [Objective 6: STEM retention]; "communicating their research to someone that is not in the same field" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 7: Communication Skills]; The highest increases in knowledge were in "collaboration on a research project with a faculty member that is in a different field than their own" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 3: Broader Context].
Publications
|
Progress 04/01/20 to 03/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes undergraduate students primarily from community colleges or other non-research institutions located in the Pacific Northwest and across the US. Recruiting efforts included visits to various community colleges located on the west side of the state and dissemination via theLouis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). Postings were also on the Pathways to Science: Institute for Broadening Participation website. Changes/Problems:Due to COVID, the final year of this program did not happen. Due to the nature of hands-on research, many of the research labs associated with this program were barely able to operate. I plan to submit a no cost extension and hope to offer the NARA SURE program during the summer of 2021. It is possible that the research experience may be virtual or remote in nature. This decision will be determined closer to May/June 2021 when the program is scheduled to start. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I plan to submit a no cost extension so that the NARA SURE program can be offered during the summer of 2021.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Nothing was accomplished. Due to COVID, the NARA-SURE program did not happen during the summer of 2020.
Publications
|
Progress 04/01/19 to 03/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes undergraduate students primarily from community colleges or other non-research institutions located in the Pacific Northwest and across the US. Recruiting efforts included visits to various community colleges located on the west side of the state and dissemination via theLouis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). Postings were also on the Pathways to Science: Institute for Broadening Participation website. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Laboratory safety training was required for all students engaged in laboratory research. Research mentors provided direct training related to specific research and education projects, and all students receivedprofessional developmenttrainingthrough workshopsfocused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. Two workshops related to communication were provided including "How to Write an Abstract" and "How to Make a Poster". Bi-weekly meetings withPI Pressley andall ofthe students provided opportunities for students to explain their research to each other andtodevelop confidence in explaining their research. The end of the summer poster symposium provided a formal opportunity for students to share their research results with the academic and scientific community. Students also received training in how to prepare and apply for graduate school. This workshop was hosted by the WSU graduate school. Finally, weekly brown-bags were offered to students in the program. These1 hourlunch-time sessions were informal meetings with a WSU faculty member from various departments. The faculty members provided a summary of their research and information about their career choices. Some faculty had experience working in industry, at national laboratories, and in consulting, and all were able to share their advice and tips on navigating college, graduate school and career options.There was also a field trip offered to students in order to show them industrial applications in their fields of study.The students visited the Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL) and received a tour of their Biobased Processing Laboratoriesat the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory. Students were exposed to R&D taking place to convert biomass and underutilized carbon sources to fuels and chemicals.The tripalsoincludeda tour oftheHigh Bay Facility (PDLW), wherethere aretwo engineering scale systems set up.Some professional development opportunities wereoptionaland others required; with the format ranging from formal presentations to informal discussions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Each student presented a poster at the end of the summer during the WSU Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium (https://summerresearch.wsu.edu/poster-symposium/). Abstracts for their posters areavailable on the website(same link as above)and posters are viewable onlinehttps://nararenewables.org/posters/#toc-summer-undergraduate-research-experience-sure-. One student,ZachararyKowaleski, presented his research at the 2019 annualAlChEstudentconference.A testimony of his conference experience is written below: AIChEwas a very graduate-oriented conference, and I found it an incredibly valuable experience as a result. One of the biggest draws for me was a graduate school fair at the very beginning of the conference. I spent a few hours talking to dozens of universities about their chemical engineering graduate programs, strengths and focuses for PhD programs, their current environmental and catalysis work, and the personal experiences of current grad students with their university. It struck me how mucheach and everystudent could talk so genuinely and sopassionately about their love for the graduate work they were doing, no matter what field they were working in or how they ended up there. I was able to get the names of a number ofprofessorsworth keeping in mind when I start applications last year, and I talked to a few professors who said they would be happy to help with my application and thinkI would be an excellent fit for their group. For the presentation itself, I was definitely very nervous going in. I realized quickly that most students had put a year or more into the research they were presenting on. Even still, I hit my stride quickly and had a great time presenting. Everybody I presented tosaidmy research from this REU was incredibly interesting, and almostevery onecommented on how impressive the amount of data and results was, given it had been from only three months of research. A few recruiters came up to me and recommended me to apply to their college, based on how my research aligned with what they were doing in catalysis and wet oxidation technology. The conference had a major positive impact on my considerations of going to grad school. It made me realize how different applications were from undergrad college applications, how much more personal the process is, and how much more willing departments are willing to work with you to find a place in their programs. It made me feel like I was wanted as a gradstudent, andmade me realize that with research already under my belt, graduate school is more of a natural next step rather than a leap in the dark.- Zach Kowaleski What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In year4 ofthisprojectwe will continue the internship in a similar fashion. The program has been advertised and applications have been evaluated. A total of7students will be recruited into the program. Research and workshops will continue to be offered and a final summer poster symposium will be held. During year3, there was only onestudent interested in presenting their research outside of the summer poster symposium. In year4, students will be encouraged to attend a conference after their summer research experience in order to present their research resultsand will be given a list ofrecommendedconferences to attend. There has been additional effort to advertise the program through emails and web postings in hopes of gathering more applicants for the summer of 2020. Recruitingnew faculty into the programto become new mentors and implementing mentor student feedback helpedimprovestudent'soverallexperiencein the program.We arealsocurrently contracting with another group living situationin order to give future participants a better residential experience.Additionally,the PI is presenting at Bellevue College,and will presentatthewomen in physics conference,targetingstudents from local colleges that don't have research opportunities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A total of8students were trained in the area of biofuels andbio-products researchwith an understanding of the importance of bioenergy literacy education during a 9.5-week long internship during the summer of 2019.Oneundergraduate wastrained at the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) on the development of educational materials for K-12 bioenergy lessons and7undergraduates focused on research related to the bio-based co-products industry. In addition to research and education training, students were provided with professional development opportunities including workshops focused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. At the conclusion of the summer internship, students presented their research via a poster symposium hosted at Washington State University for an all campus and community audience. Qualitative assessment of participants reported great increases in knowledge related to "how to apply to graduate school" and "know what it takes to succeed in graduate school"[Objective 6: STEM retention]; "communicating their research to someone that is not in the same field" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 7: Communication Skills]; and "collaboration on a research project with a faculty member that is in a different field than their own" Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 3: Broader Context]. There were moderate gains in "being interested" and "understanding how to pursue a career in science or engineering" [Objectives 6: STEM retention and 8: Professional Development];being "comfortable writing a research question" and having "confidence for gathering the evidence necessary to evaluate a scientific hypothesis" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise and 2: Authentic Research]; andgiving "a presentation (oral, PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) that effectively summarizes [their] work" [Objective 8: Professional Development]. Students were recruited via a national search and diversity includedethnic, gender, year in school, and students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities. A total of8students participated and diversity of the cohort included3(38%) underrepresented minorities,4(50%) females,6(75%) underclassmen (freshman or sophomore), and 3 (38%) students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities at their home institution [Objective 4: Diverse Students].
Publications
|
Progress 04/01/18 to 03/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes undergraduate students primarily from community colleges or other non-research institutions located in the Pacific Northwest and across the US. Recruiting efforts included visits to various community colleges located on the west side of the state and dissemination via the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). Postings were also on the Pathways to Science: Institute for Broadening Participation website. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Laboratory safety training was required for all students engaged in laboratory research. Research mentors provided direct training related to specific research and education projects, and all students receivedprofessional developmenttrainingthrough workshopsfocused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. Two workshops related to communication were provided including "How to Write an Abstract" and "How to Make a Poster". Bi-weekly meetings withPI Pressley andall ofthe students provided opportunities for students to explain their research to each other andtodevelop confidence in explaining their research. The end of the summer poster symposium provided a formal opportunity for students to share their research results with the academic and scientific community. Students alsoreceived training in how to prepareand apply for graduate school.This workshop was hosted by the WSU graduate school. Finally, weekly brown-bags were offered to students in the program. These1 hourlunch-time sessions were informal meetings with a WSU faculty member from various departments. The faculty members provided a summary of their research and information about their career choices. Some faculty had experience working inindustry, at national laboratories, and in consulting, and all were able to share their advice and tips on navigating college, graduate school and career options. Someprofessional development opportunities wereoptionaland others required; with the format rangingfrom formal presentations to informal discussions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Each student presented a poster at the end of the summer during the WSU Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium (https://summerresearch.wsu.edu/poster-symposium/). Abstracts for their posters areavailable on the website(same link as above)and posters are viewable onlinehttps://nararenewables.org/posters/#toc-summer-undergraduate-research-experience-sure-. One student (MoiraDuya) presented herposterat the2018AlChEAnnual Student Conferenceon October 29,2018. Her poster won first place in the Fuels, Petrochemicals and Energy category.A testimony of her conference experience is written below: It was such a great opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of fellow chemical engineering undergraduates, as this is notsomethingIam able toexperience often. There were 400 posters being presented at the Undergraduate Student Poster Competition, and about 10 different research areas, and it really emphasized the vast diversity of research that I could go into as a chemical engineer. This really piqued my interest in doing research again, and possibly going to graduate school, because I realized that my major is more flexible as I initially thought it was. A lot of people were interested in my work, and one personin particular discussedhow his work requires a lot of cellulose, which is a costly material. He pointed out that if our research would reduce the cost of the production of cellulose, it would tremendously assist him in his efforts. Ultimately, I learned that research indirectly affects everyone, and an advancement in one industry is an advancement for all industries.- MoiraDuya What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In year3of thisprojectwe will continue the internship in a similar fashion. The program has been advertised and applications have been evaluated.A total of 7 students will be recruited into the program. Research and workshops will continue to be offered and a final summer poster symposium will be held. During year2 there was only one student who attended a conference. In year 3 there willbe more outreach in order to try and attract more students to go to conferences.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A total of 7 students were trained in the area of biofuels andbio-products researchwith an understanding of the importance of bioenergy literacy educationduringa 9.5-week long internship duringthe summer of 2017. Twoundergraduates were trained at the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) on the development of educational materials for K-12 bioenergy lessons and5undergraduates focused on research related to the bio-based co-products industry.In addition to research and education training, students were provided with professional developmentopportunities including workshops focused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices.At the conclusionof the summer internship,students presented their research via a poster symposium hosted at Washington State University for an all campus and community audience. Qualitative assessmentof participants reported great increases in knowledge related to "know how to succeed in graduate school"[Objectives6: STEM retention, 8:Professional Development];"confident in my ability to work in interdisciplinary teams"[Objectives1: Technical Expertise,2: Authentic Researchand7:CommunicationSkills]; and "comfortable gathering the evidence necessary to evaluate a scientific process"Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 3: Broader Context]. There were moderate gains in "have collaborated on a research project with students in a program or field other than my own"[Objectives2:Authentic Research,3: Broader Context,5:Socializationand7:Communication Skills]; and "confidence forgathering the evidence necessary to evaluate a scientific hypothesis"[Objectives 1: Technical Expertise and 2: Authentic Research]. Students were recruited via a national search and diversity includedethnic, gender, year in school, and students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities.A total of 7 students participated and diversity of the cohort included5(71%) underrepresented minorities,5(71%) females, 5 (71%) underclassmen (freshman or sophomore), and4(57%) students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities at their home institution [Objective 4: Diverse Students].
Publications
|
Progress 04/01/17 to 03/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes undergraduate students primarily from community colleges or other non-research institutions located in the Pacific Northwest and across the US. Recruiting efforts included visits to various community colleges located on the west side of the state and dissemination via the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). Postings were also on the Pathways to Science: Institute for Broadening Participation website. Changes/Problems:New mentors will be invited/encouraged to join the program in year 2. Several of the mentors listed in the original proposal have left WSU. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Laboratory safety training was required for all students engaged in laboratory research. Research mentors provided direct training related to specific research and education projects, and all students received professional development training through workshops focused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. Two workshops related to communication were provided including "How to Write an Abstract" and "How to Make a Poster". Bi-weekly meetings with PI Pressley and all of the students provided opportunities for students to explain their research to each other and to develop confidence in explaining their research. The end of the summer poster symposium provided a formal opportunity for students to share their research results with the academic and scientific community. Students also received training in how to prepare and apply for graduate school. This workshop was hosted by the WSU graduate school. Finally, weekly brown-bags were offered to students in the program. These 1 hour lunch-time sessions were informal meetings with a WSU faculty member from various departments. The faculty members provided a summary of their research and information about their career choices. Some faculty had experience working in industry, at national laboratories, and in consulting, and all were able to share their advice and tips on navigating college, graduate school and career options. Some professional development opportunities were optional and others required; with the format ranging from formal presentations to informal discussions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Each student presented a poster at the end of the summer during the WSU Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium (https://summerresearch.wsu.edu/poster-symposium/). Abstracts for their posters are available on the website (same link as above) and posters are viewable online https://nararenewables.org/posters/#toc-summer-undergraduate-research-experience-sure- . One student (Alexa Antalan) presented her research at the WSU Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA) on April 2, 2018 (https://surca.wsu.edu/). Her presentation won her a Novice award in the Engineering and Physical Sciences category. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In year 2 of this project we will continue the internship in a similar fashion. The program has been advertised and applications have been evaluated. A total of 7 students will be recruited into the program. Research and workshops will continue to be offered and a final summer poster symposium will be held. During year 1, there were no students interested in presenting their research outside of the summer poster symposium. In year 2, students will be encouraged to attend a conference after their summer research experience in order to present their research results.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A total of 7 students were trained in the area of biofuels and bio-products research with an understanding of the importance of bioenergy literacy education during a 9.5-week long internship during the summer of 2017. Three undergraduates were trained at the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) on the development of educational materials for K-12 bioenergy lessons and 4 undergraduates focused on research related to the bio-based co-products industry. In addition to research and education training, students were provided with professional development opportunities including workshops focused on scientific communication (both oral and written), graduate school preparation, and career choices. At the conclusion of the summer internship, students presented their research via a poster symposium hosted at Washington State University for an all campus and community audience. Qualitative assessment of participants reported great increases in knowledge related to "how to apply to graduate school" [Objective 6: STEM retention]; "communicating their research to someone that is not in the same field" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 7: Communication Skills]; and "collaboration on a research project with a faculty member that is in a different field than their own" Objectives 1: Technical Expertise, 2: Authentic Research and 3: Broader Context]. There were moderate gains in "understanding how to pursue a career in science or engineering" [Objectives 6: STEM retention and 8: Professional Development]; and "confidence for gathering the evidence necessary to evaluate a scientific hypothesis" [Objectives 1: Technical Expertise and 2: Authentic Research]. Students were recruited via a national search and diversity included ethnic, gender, year in school, and students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities. A total of 7 students participated and diversity of the cohort included 2 (29%) underrepresented minorities, 3 (43%) females, 5 (71%) underclassmen (freshman or sophomore), and 3 (43%) students who would not otherwise be exposed to research opportunities at their home institution [Objective 4: Diverse Students].
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
It won't let me submit without something in this field.
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