Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Six Legs, Endless Possibilities was designed to provide early access to agriculturally relevant research experiences for students in Riverside, CA area community colleges, resume-building opportunities to transfer students at UC Riverside, curriculum development and instructional experience to graduate students at UCR, and outreach activities to younger (K-12) students. The impact of the research-based labs and pedagogical strategies developed through this program have been examined by our external evaluators, and materials with beneficial outcomes will be published for an audience of science educators. Community College students Six Legs-developed remote and in person laboratory research projects were delivered in classes inat least community colleges, reaching approximately 400 individual students (class sizes had 5-25 students) over the course of the grant period. UCR transfer students Six Legs PDs and collaborators directly mentored more than 50 transfer students from community colleges to UC Riverside. Additional transfer students received advice and mentorship through our participation in transfer student luncheons and through skill-building workshops. UCR graduate students Across the grant period, a total of 14PhD students contributed to curriculum and workshop development, helped to deliver research-based learning modules to community college classes, mentored community college and UCR transfer students, and helped to oversee all aspects of the Six Legs grant. Riverside-area communityUndergraduate student and graduate student participants contributed to several community outreach events, notable including thepopular Riverside Insect Fair in April of 2023 and 2024 (~10,000 participants/year). Many participants are K-12 students from the area, since local teachers encourage their students to attend. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Undergraduate students - Community college students:Our hands-on, research-based lab experiences introduce students to careers in entomology and related disciplines. We introduce students to the fact that there are many unanswered questions in biology; we then discuss how to develop and test hypotheses. Students finally participated in data collection (on insect behavior, genetics, or ecology) and data analysis. They write and submit a report on their results. Our team also started bring the population "scientific writing" workshop to community college classes, starting in Spring 0f 2023 and continuing this academic year (after the completion of the grant). Honors classes: In 2023, aSix LegsPD and postdoc worked closely with a community college honors class to develop a study investigating selfish genetic elements in an ant supergene system. This project was run a second time by just the postdoc in 2024.Student ran a PCR-RFLP assay over the course of two classes, analyzed and interpreted their results.The research project was presented at the Riverside Community College District research symposium, giving the students an opportunity to practice presenting and explaining their research to a broader audience. -UCR transfer students:Over the course of the grant,Six LegsPDs and other contributing faculty engaged in direct mentorship of more than 50 UCR transfer students, providing them with direct experience in research, including identifying knowledge gaps, formulating hypotheses, developing tests for their hypotheses, collecting data (including field collection, behavioral observation, genetic sequencing, etc., visualizing data, and data interpretation. Our program contributed to professional development of student participants through a workshop series focused on developing practical skills (e.g. science communication, CV preparation, navigating imposter syndrome in STEM, etc).We provided one field collection trip for students and, in the final year, launched a new series of workshops focused on helping students develop lab and informatics skills by participating in each step of data collection and analysis for a single research project. Peer mentors also gained experience in developing and leading programs for fellow students, continuing research experience, and additional guidance on career choices. -UCR PhD students:A total of 14 PhD students (some who volunteered to contribute to Six Legs projects) gained experience in curriculum development and delivery, mentorship of undergraduate researchers, training program management, and in helping students master skills in the lab and the field. UCR postdocsTwo UCR postdocs chose to get involved inSix Legsprograms, particularly in outreach efforts at the community college.Each worked closely with one community college honors class to develop a collaborative research project, gaining skills in pedagogy and mentorship. One postdoc also developed and ran a one-time workshop on goal setting and a short workshop series on transcriptomics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research results produced by students have been disseminated at local and regional symposia, including the UCR summer research (RISE) symposium in August of each year, and the RCCD annual student research conference, as well as the Southern California Undergraduate Research Conference, and National Conference on Undergraduate Research. OneSix Legsstudent (so far) published her research in a peer reviewed journal (Environmental Entomology). Educational materialsare currently shared among grant PDs and other participants of our program, as well as several other UCR and community college faculty and staff who have requested access. We are currently seeking a venue to publish the results of the full program along with successful and broadly applicable workshop materials and research-based labs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Recruitment phase Members of our program developed hands-on, research-based laboratory modules, both for remote learning and in person delivery. Modules were distributed to three participating community college campuses (with sustained buy in from two campuses); several of the remote research-based modules were also shared with other community colleges in southern California (through word of mouth). UCR PDs and postdocs continue to provide in person presentation and lead community college labs and honors projects, even after the conclusion of the grant. During the course of the grant, we estimate that more than 400 community college students participated in at least one module. We also ran a large-scale career day, hosted by Riverside City College, in 2020, which was attended by 90 undergraduate students. Notable outcomes from the interactions between UCR scientists and community college students include two honors student posters presented at regional meetings. Multiple students reported that their experience with Six Legs influenced their decision to apply as STEM transfer students to UC Riverside. Training phase Across the five years of the Six Legs grant, our program supported more than 25 incoming transfer students for a ~10 week summer research experience, culminating in a poster or oral presentation at a large undergraduate symposium. Six Legs PDs mentored at least 8 additional transfer students who were funded by other programs. A further 14continuing students were placed in summer internships with USDA partners, funded by the Six Legs grant. Summer research frequently led to continued opportunities and beneficial outcomes for program participants. Several Six Legs students went on to complete honors theses with their host labs and/or presented their research at regional or international conferences. In 2024, one APHIS summer intern continued to work for the Citrus Research Board after her internship (and is continuing this year). During the academic years of the program, UCR PDs and other Six Legs participants supported more than 50 transfer students, providing research mentorship and/or related professional development opportunities. One participant went on to publish her research in a peer reviewed journal, and several of our alumni are currently pursuing graduate degrees! Our team developed short professional development workshops on how to read scientific articles, CV development, time management, managing imposter system and implicit bias in STEM, science communication, and insect field collection. Whether they were provided over zoom (2020-2022) or in person (late 2022-2024), these workshops were generally well attended and well-received. An additional workshop on how to navigate UCR as a transfer student was developed and delivered by Six Legs peer mentors. In 2024, we also piloted a series of more hands on training workshop for students: "From insect to genome to evolutionary inference: step by step workshops on insect evolutionary genomics" and "Beyond genes, finding function: Insect transcriptomics", where participants contributed to DNA/RNA extraction and library preparation in a series of laboratory workshops with a 3 to one student to instructor ratio. Bioinformatics workshops will follow, but after the end of the Six Legs grant period. These workshops were popular, and students expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to participate in more advanced genetics bench work. Leadership phase Over the course of the Six Legs project, we recruited a total of 6 highly engaged continuing students as peer mentors. Peer mentors developed and ran an orientation for incoming Six Legs transfer students and developed an amazing resource sheet to help students learn how to navigate UC Riverside. Some peer mentors also participated in mentoring community college honors students, introducing them to insect field work and helping with data analysis and poster preparation. Students also continued to pursue research in their host labs, and several contributed to outreach events led by the Entomology Outreach Program, including the well-attended Riverside Insect Fair (April 2023 and 2024). PhD student training and involvement Six Legs provided GSR funding for one summer for each of ten PhD students; four additional PhD students contributed substantially to the program without remuneration. Participating PhD students contributed to research-based lab module development and delivery, provided mentorship to community college and transfer student participants, and helped to develop and lead UCR-based workshops. Pedagogy. In 2023, our external evaluators completed their analysis of participant surveys for three program years, and the outcomes indicate that the program was highly successful in achieving the goal of improving student awareness of FANH careers. Some students indicate strong interest in pursuing such careers after participating in the program. Some highlights of the summative findings include that " All respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the program components that they participated in", that " After participating in the program, most respondents (72%-100%, 21-29 respondents respectively) reported being at least somewhat or very able to engage in career/professional activities, such as determining steps to pursue a desired career path", and, finally, participant responses to pre- and post- questions indicated a statistically significant gain in knowledge and ability in a range of professional and scientific skills.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Katia Abdulhy, Samia Irfan, Emily Najera, Tiana Nguyen, Asim Quraishi, Sharmely Valladolid, Joanna Werner-Fraczek, and Giulia Scarparo. Do ants have supergenes that affect social structure? 16th Annual RCCD Student Research Conference.
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Jolene A Saldivar, Andrea N Romero, Erin E Wilson Rankin, Community Science Reveals High Diversity of Nectaring Plants Visited by Painted Lady Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in California Sage Scrub, Environmental Entomology, Volume 51, Issue 6, December 2022, Pages 11411149, https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvac073
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Six Legs, Endless Possibilities is a training grant designed to provide early access to agriculturally relevant research experiences for students in Riverside, CA area community colleges, resume-building opportunities to transfer students at UC Riverside, curriculum development and instructional experience to graduate students at UCR, and outreach activities to younger (K-12) students. The impact of the research-based labs and pedagogical strategies developed through this program have been examined by our external evaluators, and materials with beneficial outcomes will be published for an audience of science educators. Community College students Six Legs-developed remote and in person laboratory research projects were delivered in at least 3 community college classes, reaching approximately 55 individual students (class sizes had 5-25 students) during the 2022-2023 academic year. UCR transfer students For the 2022-2023 academic year, Six Legs PDs and collaborators directly mentored 12 transfer students. Additional transfer students received advice and mentorship through our participation in transfer student luncheons and through skill-building workshops. For the 2023 summer session, we recruited three incoming transfer students to conduct summer research in Six Legs-affiliated labs (three were supported directly by this training grant, and several additional students were supported by other university funds). We collaborated with a broader summer research program (UCR RISE) to deliver professional development and cohort-building activities to our student participants. This program culminated in oral presentations and written reports from each participant. UCR graduate students One PhD student coordinated with community college faculty members to help honors students develop and implement an original research project. This program provides valuable experiences in mentorship and pedagogy. Riverside-area K-12 students Our leadership phase cohort of undergraduate students started in fall and participated in outreach events at local community colleges and in programs led by the Entomology Outreach programs, including the popular Riverside Insect Fair in April of 2023. Changes/Problems:Two UCR PDs experienced extensive flooding in their research labs in fall and winter of the 2022-2023 academic year. They had to suspend hands on research for all lab members (including undergraduate mentees), thereby shrinking the number of students mentored in the past year. These PDs also suspended their workshops during the past year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Undergraduate students - Community college students: Our hands-on, research-based lab experiences introduce students to careers in entomology and related disciplines. Students also collect data (on insect behavior, genetics, or ecology), analyze the data, and write a report on their results. We discuss developing hypotheses and how to test hypotheses, and also introduce the students to the idea that there are many unanswered questions in science. Honors class: A Six Legs PD, supported PhD student, and peer mentor worked closely with five community college honors students to develop a field-based insect behavior study that they could carry out on their campus. Through iterative visits, we identified a knowledge gap, designed a field experiment that could address the knowledge gap, collected data (after a preliminary test after which we discussed limitations with the experimental design and improved it), data analysis, and designing a poster to summarize and present the results. - UCR transfer students: Six Legs PDs engaged in direct mentorship of UCR transfer students (~12 new and continuing students during the 2022-2023 academic year) and also led or participated in workshops that reached at least 50 UCR transfer students. Workshops focused on developing practical skills (e.g. science communication) or on understanding pathways linking undergraduate experience to career opportunities. During the summer of 2023, three students participated in Six Legs-funded intensive research during a 10 week program. In coordination with other summer research programs at UCR, our students participated in weekly professional development workshops on topics including 'how to write a scientific abstract', 'developing an elevator pitch', and 'how to give an oral scientific presentation', among others. Four additional transfer students had similar research experiences with Six Legs PDs, but were funded through different programs. In all cases, students gained experience in research methods and broadened their research experience. Peer mentors also gained experience in developing and leading programs for fellow students, continuing research experience, and additional guidance on career choices. One peer mentor started graduate school in the fall of 2024. - UCR PhD students: One UCR PhD student worked closely with the community college honors students to guide them through the process of experimental design, data collection, and data analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?There are two layers of results stemming from this grant that should be disseminated: the research results produced by student participants in collaboration with UCR faculty members and USDA partners, and the educational products and pedagogical analysis that are developed through this program. Research results have been presented to scientific audiences at UCR through participation at several research symposia and conferences. Several additional Six Legs participants are preparing their research results for submission to scientific journals as well, and will present at conferences in the coming year. We have developed four research-based laboratory modules that can be run remotely and two that are run in person. These have been shared with colleagues at community colleges and with interested instructors at UCR. Ultimately, we intend to make the curricula available to other teachers and professors. We recently received the summative evaluation of the Six Legs program from the external evaluators. A teams of Six Legs PDs and collaborating postdocs are now beginning the process of writing a pedagogical article documenting the successes and failures of this training program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Recruitment phase: We hope to run our second Career Exploration Symposium (focused on USDA MCOs) this year. We are planning to run a series of in person laboratory modules in community college classrooms. We currently have two in person visits by a UCR postdoctoral fellow scheduled for labs at Moreno Valley College. The postdoc worked closely with PD Purcell to develop a molecular lab investigating selfish transmission of ant genetic variants using PCR RFLP. The lab introduces students to molecular lab work and, satisfyingly, the students are able to score genotypes on gels after just two labs, allowing them to answer a contemporary scientific question with real data. Training phase: Several Six Legs participants are continuing to develop research projects with their faculty mentors. As the academic quarter begins, we will recruit additional transfer students to participate in workshops and to be placed in Entomology and EEOB labs. As in past years, we will provide a series of optional workshops focused on developing technical and professional skills. We anticipate recruiting and supporting ~5 incoming transfer students for summer research and 6-8 continuing students for USDA internships in the summer of 2024. With the increase in Entomology Outreach activity, we will also actively seek to include interested Six Legs participants in more outreach events. Graduate student participation: The 2024 summer GSRs (we anticipate supporting 2-3 students) will participate in streamlining and publishing the research-based labs that have been developed and tested through this program. If interested, these students will also be encouraged to work with Six Legs PDs to develop and write the pedagogical manuscript identifying the strengths and weaknesses of this training grant in educating the next generation of FANH scientists. They will also be encouraged to continue to develop and deliver in depth skill- building and resume- building workshops for Training Phase students and to mentor leadership phase students in best practices for entomology outreach development and delivery. Postdoc participation: While it was not a part of the initial proposal, two postdocs have been increasingly involved with this project. We welcome the participation of additional scientists: student participants gain the benefit of contact with more scientists at different stages of their career, and postdocs will have the opportunity to mentor URM students and to participate in teaching. One postdoc led honors students from Moreno Valley College in data collection and analysis in support of her project assessing transmission distortion mechanisms in ants and will repeat this exercise with a new cohort in fall of 2023. Another postdoc is working with the data collected by the external evaluation team to begin to develop the pedagogical research product from this project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Recruitment phase Members of our program developed hands-on, research-based laboratory modules. In person presentations and projects were led by UCR PDs, PhD students/postdocs, and Six Legs peer mentors whenever possible. At least 50 community college students participated in (at least) one such module, which was accompanied by a brief lecture (which included information about careers associated with each research project) and followed up by an analysis and overview of student-collected data. We also worked with a small honors class (5 students) for a longer period of time in the fall semester, helping them develop a more advanced research project and learn additional field and analytical skills. The honors project culminated in a poster presented at a conference on community college research. We received positive feedback on each of the projects delivered in community college classes, and several incoming transfer students reached out to Six Legs PDs to express enthusiasm for continuing with the program. Training phase Six Legs PDs continued to mentor transfer students carrying out research in their laboratories (fewer students were placed in non-Six Legs labs this year). Highlighting the benefits of this experience, one Six Legs student presented her research at a regional conference (November 2022), and several Six Legs students currently have manuscripts in preparation in collaboration with their host labs. In an effort to balance providing meaningful experiences for students in our labs and reaching a broader audience of transfer students at UCR, PD Purcell led a discussion at a college-wide luncheon for transfer students (about 30 students attended) focused on how undergraduate research experiences can be used as a foundation for post-graduate careers. PD Mauck and Entomology faculty member Erin Wilson-Rankin developed and led a highly successful Science Communication Workshop for community college and UCR students alike. We advertised this workshop to a broader audience this year in order to attract a larger pool of participants. This workshop was praised by all attendees and will continue this year and beyond the expiration of the Six Legs training grant. In the summer of 2023, we recruited three incoming transfer students and paired them with mentors to conduct summer research and gain professional development training; Six Legs PDs mentored an additional four summer research students paid through other programs. The four transfer students contributed oral presentations to a summer research symposium in late August. Leadership phase We recruited two very engaged students to continue as peer mentors in our program. These students participated in mentoring community college honors students, introducing them to insect field work and helping with data analysis and poster preparation. Both students also continued to engage in research in their host labs and contribute to outreach events led by the Entomology Outreach Program, including the well-attended Riverside Insect Fair (April 2023). Pedagogy. Our external evaluators have now completed their analysis of participant surveys for three program years, and the outcomes indicate that the program was highly successful in achieving the goal of improving student awareness of FANH careers. Some students indicate strong interest in pursuing such careers after participating in the program. Some highlights of the summative findings include that " All respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the program components that they participated in", that " After participating in the program, most respondents (72%-100%, 21-29 respondents respectively) reported being at least somewhat or very able to engage in career/professional activities, such as determining steps to pursue a desired career path", and, finally, participant responses to pre- and post- questions indicated a statistically significant gain in knowledge and ability in a range of professional and scientific skills.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Soliman, A., Sankovitz, M., and Purcell, J. 2022. Harvester ant workers vary in investment in subterranean tasks. Southern California Undergraduate Research Conference, Malibu, CA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Chau, L., Romero Ruiz, A., Arroyo, G., Serrano, D., Rosales, D., Werner-Fraczek J., Zarate, D., and Purcell, J. 2023. Teaching ants to associate rewards with scents. Can they learn? Southern California Honors Conference, Irvine, CA.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Six Legs, Endless Possibilities is a training grant designed to provide early access to agriculturally relevant research experiences for students in Riverside, CA area community colleges, resume-building opportunities to transfer students at UC Riverside, curriculum development and instructional experience to graduate students at UCR, and outreach activities to younger (K-12) students. The impact of the research-based labs and pedagogical strategies developed through this program will be examined by our external evaluators, and materials with beneficial outcomes will be published for an audience of science educators after several years of data collection. Community College students Six Legs-developed remote and in person laboratory research projects were delivered in at least 5 classes across three community college campuses, reaching approximately 150 individual students (class sizes typically had an average of 30 students) during the 2021-2022 academic year. UCR transfer students For the 2021-2022 academic year, we recruited 18 incoming transfer students who participated in the training phase of the program over the course of the year. These students were paired with faculty mentors: many students engaged in research activities in the mentor's lab, while some preferred to receive advice on how to navigate courses and opportunities at UCR. UCR Six Legs PDs and peer mentors led four online workshops and one field-based workshop during the 2021-2022 academic year. Two graduate students and one postdoc assisted with workshop development and delivery. For the 2022 summer session, we recruited four incoming transfer students to conduct summer research in Six Legs-affiliated labs (four were supported directly by this training grant, and several additional students were supported by other university funds). We collaborated with a broader summer research program (UCR RISE) to deliver professional development and cohort-building activities to our student participants. This program culminated in oral presentations and written reports from each participant. We also placed four students who completed the training phase (those who transferred to UCR in 2021) in research internships co-led by UCR faculty and USDA partner scientists. These internships were all funded by the Six Legs program. UCR graduate students Six Legs supported two summer GSR students in 2022. These PhD students have all been involved in mentorship of research students, development of professional development workshops for summer and academic year Six Legs participants, and coordinating with community college faculty members to help with research-based lab delivery. This program provides valuable experiences in mentorship and pedagogy/workshop development and delivery. Riverside-area K-12 students Our first leadership phase cohort of undergraduate students started in fall of 2022. During this year, most of our "usual" K-12 outreach activities were still suspended or virtual. Six Legs peer mentors were able to participate in the Riverside Insect Fair in April of 2022, which attracted more than 10,000 visitors including many children. During this year, peer mentors developed materials and an orientation workshop for incoming transfer students, and they attended other workshops to help facilitate discussion and engagement.? Changes/Problems:The extended campus closures and, even when campuses reopened, the rules around undregraduate research involvement significantly limited our ability to carry out some of the aspects of this project that we proposed. We were able to pivot to develop more remote learning laboratory activities and zoom-based professional development workshops for students. As conditions return to "normal", we are excited to move forward with developing and implementing many of our initial goals and plans. However, this will require a substantial unplanned effort from participants at all levels, since we will have to develop programs again. We hope to have enough time to develop and fine-tune high quality experiences for community college and transfer students in the time remaining on this grant. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Undergraduate students - Community college students: Our hands-on, research-based lab experiences introduce students to careers in entomology and related disciplines. Students also collect data (on insect behavior, genetics, or ecology), analyze the data, and write a report on their results. We discuss developing hypotheses and how to test hypotheses, and also introduce the students to the idea that there are many unanswered questions in science. - UCR transfer students: During the academic year, we offered the 18 Six Legs students the opportunity to participate in a series of professional development workshops that focus on strategies to read scientific articles, time management, and CV development. These students were also paired with faculty mentors, and many actively participated in research projects. During the summer of 2022, four students participated in intensive research during a 10 week program. In coordination with other summer research programs at UCR, our students participated in weekly professional development workshops on topics including 'how to write a scientific abstract', 'developing an elevator pitch', and 'how to give an oral scientific presentation', among others. During the summer of 2022, four students participated in internships that were led by collaborative teams of UCR and USDA scientists. In all cases, students gained experience in research methods and broadened their research experience. Peer mentors also gained experience in developing and leading programs for fellow students, continuing research experience, and additional guidance on career choices. One peer mentor published a research article and presented her research at a national conference in spring of 2022. This student started graduate school in the fall of 2023. - UCR PhD students: In the summer of 2022, two PhD students worked as summer GSRs for the Six Legs program, and several unpaid PhD students and postdocs also contributed to our program. These students worked as mentors for undergraduate summer researchers, and they also developed material for workshops and activities for undergraduate Six Legs participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?There are two layers of results stemming from this grant that should be disseminated: the research results produced by student participants in collaboration with UCR faculty members and USDA partners, and the educational products and pedagogical analysis that are developed through this program. Research results have been presented to scientific audiences at UCR through participation at several research symposia, and through one peer reviewed publication and one conference presentation so far. Several additional Six Legs participants are preparing their research results for submission to scientific journals as well,and will present at conferences in the coming year. We have developed four research-based laboratory modules that can be run remotely and two that are run in person. These have been shared with colleagues at community colleges and with interested instructors at UCR. We plan to continue to test these and improve them. Ultimately, we intend to make the curricula available to other teachers and professors. We now have two years of data from our external evaluation process. When data collection is complete, we plan to write a pedagogical article documenting the successes and failures of this training program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Recruitment phase: We hope to run our second Career Exploration Symposium (focused on USDA MCOs) this year. We are planning to run primarily in person laboratory modules in community college classrooms. We currently have two in person visits by UCR faculty and GSRs scheduled for labs at Moreno Valley College, and we will lead a hands-on research laboratory focused on aggressive interactions among ants. Students will be invited to participate in annual surveys to assess the impact of these activities on their knowledge of and perception about USDA MCOs. Training phase: At the end of this reporting period, we were just beginning to recruit incoming transfer students to participate in the academic year programming at UCR. They will receive mentorship and focused training this year, and will be invited to return to participate in the Leadership phase in 2023-2024. Students who joined Six Legs in 2022 will be encouraged to continue to work with their mentors and to attend professional development and field-based skill-building workshops during the coming year. During the summer of 2023, we anticipate sponsoring 6-8 incoming transfer students for participation in faculty-led summer research, and 6-8 students from our third cohort for internships with our USDA partners in ARS, APHIS, and Forest Service. We hope to be able to place students at USDA facilities this year. Graduate student participation: The 2022 summer GSRs will participate in delivering the research-based lab activities that they helped to develop to college students. They will also be encouraged to continue to develop and deliver in depth skill- building and resume- building workshops for Training Phase students. We anticipate recruiting 2-3 graduate students for the summer of 2023 to continue to streamline our classroom-tested activities, develop additional resource, help with undergraduate research student mentorship, teach our leadership phase undergraduate to deliver outreach materials to K- 12 students, and work with PIs to plan and schedule activities for the 2023-2024 training phase cohort. Postdoc participation: While it was not a part of the initial proposal, several postdocs have expressed an interest in getting involved with this project. We welcome the participation of additional scientists: student participants will gain the benefit of contact with more scientists at different stages of their career, and postdocs will have the opportunity to mentor URM students and to participate in teaching. One postdoc led honors students from Moreno Valley College in data collection and analysis in support of her project assessing transmission distortion mechanisms in ants. Another postdoc is working with the data collected by the external evaluation team to begin to develop the pedagogical research product from this project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Recruitment phase Members of our program developed hands-on, research-based laboratory modules. This year, we were able to return to in person presentations, which were led by UCR PDs, PhD students/postdocs, Six Legs peer mentors whenever possible. At least 100 community college students participated in (at least) one such module, which was accompanied by a brief lecture (which included information about careers associated with each research project) and followed up by an analysis and overview of student-collected data. We also worked with a small honors class for a longer period of time, helping them develop a more advanced research project and learn additional laboratory and analytical skills. A number of transfer students to UCR recalled that they participated in these modules in their Six Legs program application materials, and some stated that having this positive experience was a factor in their decision to apply for the training phase. Training phase We accepted 18 incoming transfer students into the academic-year portion of the Six Legs training phase in October, 2021. We paired students with a faculty mentor (including mentors from the Entomology, Botany, and Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology departments). Six Legs PDs and graduate students also developed and led professional development workshops throughout the year, still generally delivered to students over zoom. We also led one insect field collection workshop that took place in person in spring of 2022. In the summer of 2022, we recruited four incoming transfer students and paired them with mentors to conduct summer research and gain professional development training, and we recruited four interns (who had already completed a year of study at UCR) to work on USDA-affiliated projects during the summer. The four transfer students contributed oral presentations to a summer research symposium in late August. Leadership phase We recruited two very engaged students to continue as peer mentors in our program. These students developed and ran an orientation for incoming Six Legs transfer students and developed an amazing resource sheet for students to help them get oriented at UCR. Peer mentors also participated in recruitment phase events at community college campuses. The UCR Entomology Outreach program has been slow to restart after COVID, but we look forward to having our peer mentors get involved in K-12 outreach in the future. Pedagogy. Our external evaluators conducted participant surveys for the first two years of the program. The results suggest promising outcomes for student participants. We are waiting to collect a third year of data before completing an analysis of the survey results.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Saldivar, J., A. Romero, and Wilson Rankin, E.E. (2022) Community science reveals high diversity of nectaring plants visited by painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) in California sage scrub. Environmental Entomology.201(2): 241-255
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience: Six Legs, Endless Possibilities is a training grant designed to provide early access to agriculturally relevant research experiences for students in Riverside, CA area community colleges, resume-building opportunities to transfer students at UC Riverside, curriculum development and instructional experience to graduate students at UCR, and outreach activities to younger (K-12) students. The impact of the research-based labs and pedagogical strategies developed through this program will be examined by our external evaluators, and materials with beneficial outcomes will be published for an audience of science educators after several years of data collection. Community College studentsSix Legs-developed remote laboratory research projects were delivered in at least 6 classes across three community college campuses, reaching approximately 210 individual students (class sizes typically rangefrom 30-45 students)during the 2020-2021 academic year. Led by co-director Virginia White, Riverside City College also hosted our first career exploration symposium, which was held virtually and wasopen to Riverside Community College district students and UCR transfer students. Approximately 90 students attended all orpart of this symposium. UCR transfer studentsFor the 2020-2021 academic year, we recruited 27 incoming transfer students, who participated in the training phase of the program over the course of the year. These students were paired with faculty mentors: many students engaged in research activities in thementor's lab, while some preferred to receiveadvice on how to navigate courses and opportunities at UCR. During the course of the year, the UCR Six LegsPDs developed and led five online workshops. Due to ongoing campus closure, these workshops focused on other aspects of relevant professional development, including how to read the scientific literature effectively, time management, scientific writing, CV development, and imposter syndrome in STEM. Three graduate students assisted with workshop development and delivery, and were available to answer student questions after each event. For the 2021 summer session, we recruited 10 incoming transfer students to conduct summer research inSix Legs-affiliated labs(eight supported directly by this training grant, and two more supported by other university funds). We collaborated with a broader summer research program (UCR RISE) to deliver professional development and cohort-building activities to our student participants. This program culminated in oral presentations and written reports from each participant. PD Purcell provided closing remarks at the student symposium, highlighting the research opportunities avaialble to students at UCR. We also placed six students who completed the training phase (those who transfered to UCR in 2020) in internships with USDA partner scientists. These internships were all funded by theSix Legsprogram. UCR graduate studentsSix Legssupported five summer GSR students in 2021. These PhD students have all been involved in mentorship of research students, development of professional development workshops for summer and academic yearSix Legsparticipants (the GSRs devised and led two workshops for RISE and internship participants), and coordinating with community college faculty members to help with research-based lab delivery. This program provides valuable experiences in mentorship and pedagogy/workshop development and delivery. Riverside-area K-12 studentsOur first leadership phase cohort of undergraduate students are starting in fall of 2021. They will work with graduate students to deliver outreach materials to local K-12 students during the coming academic year. Teachers and ProfessorsWe have now developed 4 remote-friendly, research-based lab exercises for students in introductory biology courses. These have been shared with all co-PIs on this grant, and, through word of mouth, with colleagues at their institutions and beyond. These will ultimately be shared with a broader audience of educators when they have been evaluated and adjusted based on student feedback. USDA Partners During the summer of 2021,Six Legsstudent participants were paired with USDA agency scientific mentors (including ARS, APHIS, and FS; in some cases, the students were co-mentored by collaborating UCR faculty members due to pandemic-associated restrictions). Our aim is to build strong relationships with USDA partners and to establish an internship pipeline for top UCR undergraduate research students. The initial internship placements were successful and benefited the students and the research projects that they contributed to. Changes/Problems:Our team is continuing to respond and adapt to changing rules and regulations across our four partner campuses. During the past academic year, all four campuses had exclusively online courses and undergraduate students were not allowed to participate in research projects in person. In response, we developed and ran research-based laboratory activities that students could complete remotely, and we adapted our planned skill-building workshops to cover topics that could be effectively discussed via zoom. It has been a major challenge to identify faculty mentors who were willing or able to develop student research projects that could be completed remotely-- many research programs are not amenable to remote participation. We hope that the return to more in person opportunities will continue to open up additional research opportunities for incoming transfer students. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Undergraduate students - Community college students:We provided a virtual career exploration symposium that included Q&A sessions with a variety of USDA MCO scientists and a panel discussion with graduate students from Entomology and EEOB programs at UCR. This provided participants with practice in networking and with practical advice on how to pursue USDA MCO jobs or careers. -UCR transfer students:During the academic year, we offered the 27Six Legsstudents the opportunity to participate in five professional development workshops that focus on strategies to read scientific articles, time management, writing, CV development, and managing imposter syndrome and implicit bias in STEM. These students were also paired with faculty mentors, and many actively participated in research projects. During the summer of 2021, 10 students participated in intensive research during a 10 week program. In coordination with other summer research programs at UCR, our students participated in weekly professional development workshops on topics including 'how to write a scientific abstract', 'developing an elevator pitch', and 'how to give an oral scientific presentation', among others.Six LegsGSRs contributed to several of these workshops. During the summer of 2021, 6 students participated in internships with USDA scientists. Some of these internshipsalso included acollaboration with one or more UCR faculty members. In all cases, students gained experience in research methods and broadened their research experience. -UCR PhD students:In the summer of 2021, five PhD students worked as summer GSRs for theSix Legsprogram, and several unpaid PhD students also contributed to our program. These students worked as mentors for undergraduate summer researchers, and they also developed material for workshopsand activities for undergraduateSix Legsparticipants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?There are two layers of results stemming from this grant that should be disseminated: the research results produced by student participants in collaboration with UCR faculty members and USDA partners, and the educational products and pedagogical analysis that are developed through this program. Research results have been presented to scientific audiences at UCR through participation at several research symposia. We hope to send active research students to scientific conferences outside of UCR this year, if such conferences resume (in person). SeveralSix Legsparticipants are preparing their research results for submission to scientific journalsas well. We have developed four research-based laboratory modules that can be run remotely. These have been shared with colleagues at community colleges and with interested instructors at UCR. We plan to continue to test these and improvethem. Ultimately, we intendto make the curriculaavailable to other teachers and professors. Our external evaluation process was initiated at the end of this reporting period. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Recruitment phase: We hope to run our secondannual Career Exploration Symposium (focused on USDA MCOs) this year. Weare delaying our timeline in hopes of being able to hold this event in person. Several campuses are still avoiding large gatherings of students, but these restrictions may be reevaluatedin the spring semester. We are planning to run a combination of remote and in person laboratory modules in community college classrooms, as COVID restrictions permit. We currently have two in person visits by UCR faculty and GSRs scheduled for labs at Moreno Valley College, and we willlead a hands-on research laboratory focused on aggressive interactions among ants. Other campuses remain closed and will continue to incorporate remote research-based labs into their biology courses.Students will be invited to participate in annual surveys to gauge the impact of these activities on their knowledge of and perception about USDA MCOs. Training phase: At the end of this reporting period, we were justbeginning to recruit incoming transfer students to participate in the academic year programming at UCR. They will receive mentorship and focused training this year, and will be invited to return to participate in theLeadership phasein 2022-2023. Students who joined Six Legsin 2020 will be encouraged to continue to work with their mentors and to attend skill-building and professional development workshops, especially if we are able to run our planned hands-on field and lab workshops this year.During the summer of 2022, we anticipate sponsoring 8-10 incoming transfer students for participation in faculty-led summer research, and 8-10 students from our secondcohort for internships with our USDA partners in ARS, APHIS, and Forest Service. Graduate student participation:The 2021summer GSRs will participate in delivering the research-based lab activities that they helped to develop to college students. They will also be encouraged to continue to developand deliver in depth skill-building and resume- building workshops forTraining Phasestudents. We anticipate recruiting 3-6 graduate students for the summer of 2022- 2023to continue to streamline our classroom-tested activities, develop additional resource, help with undergraduate research student mentorship, teach ourleadership phaseundergraduate to deliver outreach materials to K-12 students, and work with PIs to plan and schedule activities for the 2022-2023training phasecohort. Postdoc participation:While it was not a part of the initial proposal, several postdocs have expressed an interest in getting involved with this project. We welcome the participation of additional scientists: student participants will gain the benefit of contact with more scientists at different stages of their career, and postdocs will have the opportunity to mentor URM students and to participate in teaching. One postdoc will lead honors students from Moreno Valley College in data collection and analysis in support of her project assessing transmission distortion mechanisms in ants.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Recruitment phaseMembers of our program developed hands-on, research-based laboratory modules that could be carried out by students close to their homes. At least 200 community college students participated in (at least) one such module, which was accompanied by a recorded lecture and followed up by an analysis and overview of student-collected data. Recorded lectures include information about careers associated with the research project. A number of transfer students to UCR recalled that they participated in these modules in theirSix Legsprogram application materials, and some stated that having this positive experience was a factor in their decision to apply for the training phase. We also developed and ran a virtual career exploration symposium, hosted by Riverside City College. Presenters included USDA and relevant private-sector scientists (e.g. agriculture, pest control), cooperative extension scientists, and current Entomology graduate students. Approximately 90 undergraduate students participated in this event. Training phaseWe accepted 27 incoming transfer students into the academic-year portion of theSix Legstraining phase in October, 2020. We were astonished (in a good way) to have so many outstanding applicants, and we managed to pair each student with a faculty mentor (including mentors from the Entomology, Botany, and Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology departments).Six LegsPDs and graduate students also developed and led five new professional development workshops, all delivered to participants over zoom. Workshops had to be modified from our planned hands-on activities, but were well-attended and successful (more information is provided in the target audience section). In the summer of 2021, we recruited 10 incoming transfer studentsand paired them with mentors to conduct summer research and gain professional development training, and we recruited 6 interns (who had already completed a year of study at UCR) to work with USDA mentors on summer research projects. The 10 transfer students contributed oral presentations to a summer research symposium in late August. Leadership phaseThe leadership phase is beginning this academic year, as alumni from the training phase work with faculty directors and graduate students to develop and deliver workshops and laboratory activities to students in the recruitment and training phase and for K-12 children. Pedagogy.We completed our first survey of participants in late summer of 2021. Our external evaluators are currently aggregating and analyzing the data.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Six Legs, Endless Possibilitiesis a training grant designed to provide early access to agriculturally relevant research experiences for students in Riverside, CA area community colleges, resume-building opportunities to transfer students at UC Riverside, curriculum development and instructional experience to graduate students at UCR, and outreach activities to younger (K-12) students. The impact of theresearch-based labs and pedagogical strategies developed through this program will be examined by our external evaluators, and materials with beneficial outcomes will be published for an audience of science educators after several years of data collection. In the first year of this program,Six Legsmaterials were incorporated into entry-level biology classes at 3 community colleges (35-45 students/class, total 110 students). The research-based lab (focused on ant collective behaviors)was adjusted to accommodate the fact that courses were strictly online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so students collected data independently near their homes, the data from each class was assembled, and students examined the combined results from their observations. This experience was paired with a (recorded) guest lecture that emphasized relevant career opportunities. During the summer of 2020,Six Legssponsored six incoming transfer students for summer research (four were paid directly by this grant, and two received funding from other sources). Students carried out remote research with close mentorship from aSix LegsPI and their graduate students. These experiences culminated in a research presentation in a symposium at the end of the summer. Three graduate students receivedSix LegsGSRs to develop additionalresearch-based learning activities for distribution to the community college courses, in close collaboration withSix LegsPIs. Given the current pedagogical challenges, we tasked the students to develop activities that could be carried out either remotely or in person (in the future), and then to test each other's activities. These students will be helping to deliver their activities during the 20-21 academic year, and will continue to fine-tune their materials. Two additional PhD students who have non-Six Legsfellowships volunteered to help test and streamline research-based learning activities and to provide additional mentorship to the summer research (undergraduate) students. During the coming academic year, we will continue to lead research-based learning activities at the community colleges (one more campus has already asked for access to our materials, through word of mouth), we will be hosting our first cohort of UCR-based transfer students, who will participate in faculty research, participate in intensive training workshops, and, later, contribute to our Entomology outreach program. Much of our 'usual' outreach to K-12 students in currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic (our typical activities include classroom visits or student visits to the UCR Entomology department and museum). However, we will seek opportunities to work with undergraduate and graduate students to develop creative online outreach activities if possible. Changes/Problems:We have faced several setbacks in the first year of this program. Obviously, we had to change plans in almost all areas of our program to adjust to the COVID-related campus closures. Many of the adjustments are detailed throughout other portions of this annual report. In summary, we have designed experiential, research-based learning activities that can be run remotely. They will require some adjustment to run in person, and we will certainly spend more time on activity development and delivery due to the current conditions. However, we are happy to report thatSix Legswas used as a resource for faculty networking, where we could exchange ideas and activities about what was and was not working in the remote classroom setting. Being able to share successful activities, whether or not they were developed specifically for Six Legs, surely enhanced the learning experience of many students across all four campuses. Student participation in research was also affected, although we were still able to develop summer research projects that could be carried out remotely for six incoming transfer students. Sadly, a valued colleague and co-PI on this grant, Dr. William Walton, passed away earlier this year. The co-PIs have worked together to cover grant activities initially assigned to Dr. Walton. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During the first year of the project, we provided in depth training and professional development to six incoming UCR transfer students and five UCR graduate students. UCR transfer students worked closely with their mentors to discuss aspects of experimental design, best practices in data collection, data management, elementary data analysis, presentation, and writing. In addition, they attended weekly professional development seminars led by UCR's Summer RISE (Research In Science and Engineering) coordinator, which focused on strategies for success in remote learning, how to give a great presentation, how to write a scientific paper, best practices for networking, and more. During the summer, three UCR graduate students worked closely with faculty mentors to develop research-based activities for introductory biology students. They faced the added challenge of making their activities friendly for the current remote-learning situation. These PhD students received training in pedagogical techniques, and they will be gaining direct teaching experience when they help to deliver these activities in our partner colleges. Two additional PhD students assisted with the development of the ant lab, and will continue to help classes compile and analyze their data each semester. They are currently on other fellowship support, but both are interested in teaching, and have volunteered to help wherever possible. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?So far, the experiential research-based laboratory activities have been disseminated to our community college partners. Through word of mouth, one faculty member from another area community college has reached out to request access to these activities for her classes as well, and she planned to use at least one activity during the fall, 2020 semester. The research results of student participants in our program were communicated during a student research symposium for summer researchers at UCR. For students who continue to conduct research throughSix Legs, we plan to encourage attendance and presentation at larger research conferences in the future. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Recruitment phase: We will be running the first annual Career Discovery day (focused on USDA MCOs), hosted by Riverside City College, in October, 2020. During the 2020-2021 academic year, the research-based learning activities will be implemented in the introductory biology courses at the community colleges (both partner and, due to connections made through this grant, non-partner campuses.). Students will be invited to participate in annual surveys to gauge the impact of these activities on their knowledge of and perception about USDA MCOs. Training phase: We are just beginning the process of recruiting incoming transfer students to participate in the academic year programming at UCR. This will be our first cohort of transfer students. They will receive mentorship and focused training this year, and will be invited to return to participate in theLeadership phasein 2021-2022. During the summer of 2021, we anticipate sponsoring 8-10 incoming transfer students for participation in faculty-led summer research, and 8-10 students from our current cohort for internships with our USDA partners in ARS, APHIS, and Forest Service. Graduate student participation:The 2020 summer GSRs will participate in delivering the research-based lab activities that they developed to college students. They will also be invited to help develop and deliver in depth skill-building and resume-building workshops forTraining Phasestudents. We anticipate recruiting 3-6 graduate students for the summer of 2021-2022 to streamline our classroom-tested activities, develop additional resource, help with undergraduate research student mentorship, teach ourleadership phaseundergraduateto deliver outreach materials to K-12 students, and work with PIs to plan and schedule activities for the 2021-2022training phasecohort. Postdoc participation:While it was not a part of the initial proposal, at least one current and one prospective postdoc are interested in helping to develop and deliver materials toSix Legsparticipants. We welcome the participation of additional scientists: student participants will gain the benefit of contact with more scientists at different stages of their career, and postdocs will have the opportunity to mentor URM students and to participate in teaching.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Recruitment phase: We developed and introduced our first experiential, research-based activity into biology labs in each of our three partner community colleges. This lab activity was modified so that it was feasible and easy for students to collect data remotely, near their homes. We paired this activity with a guest lecture that described entomology in general, the role of social insects in native and managed environments in more detail, and, briefly, described careers that involve entomology research. Duringthe summer, three graduate student researchers worked closely with faculty mentors to develop three additional experiential, research-based activities that have a remote option. These activities will be distributed for the 2020-2021 academic year. We are currently planning our first community college-based career fair, which will take place (remotely) in October, 2020. We hope that this will further reinforce to students that there are many career options that they may not have considered prior to having these research experiences. Training phase:Six incoming transfer students participated inSix Legs-sponsored summer research in the labs ofSix LegsPIs (four were paid directly bySix Legs,while two received funding from other sources). It was challenging to identify research activities that could be carried out remotelyby incoming transfer students without special training, so the options that we could offer were somewhat limited this summer. However, all six of these students successfully carried out a research project during an eight-week period and presented their research in a symposium; they received training and advice from faculty and graduate student mentors during this time, and they also participated in weekly professional development activities coordinating by UCR's summer RISE (Research In Science and Engineering) program. We are now recruiting our first academic-year cohort of students who will be paired with faculty mentors and invited to participate in professional development and skill-building workshops throughout the year. Again, these workshops will be unusual (online-only, focused more on academic skills, such as how to read a scientific paper or how to interpret data than on field-based research skills) this year, but hopefully they will still be beneficial to students! Leadership phase:For undergraduate student participants, the leadership phase will begin in their second year at UCR (for our first cohort, this will be in 2021-2022). Our three graduate student researchers and two graduate student volunteers are also gaining skills in curriculum development, pedagogy, and scientific communication. Pedagogy: We've worked with our external evaluators to develop a strategy for assessing student learning and perceptions through all phases of this project. We secured IRB approval for the pedagogical research component of this project at UCR and at the associated community colleges.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
https://six-legs.ucr.edu
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