Vignette A – Summer Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (Fig. 2A)
The field site and course: The Thomas More University (TMU) Biology Field Station was founded in 1967 and offers research, courses, and field experience programs for undergraduate students and outreach programs for K-12 students and the general public. The TMU Biology Field Station is located 20 miles from the main campus in a more remote/unpopulated setting, along the banks of the Ohio River. Each summer, undergraduate students from around the country are selected to participate in a 10-week summer research internship where they are assigned to one of three long-standing research projects and develop an independent-study side project on which to develop and work throughout the ten weeks.
Development of student outcomes: During the preceding academic year, TMU Biology Field Station staff, including the field station director, discussed outcomes that they wanted to achieve with these internships. These outcomes were informed by discussions with the faculty from the Department of Biological Sciences at TMU and with collaborating researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development and the US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFW). The primary, intended student outcomes included (1) Increased understanding of and proficiency with research practices and processes; (2) Increased understanding of discipline-specific concepts and content; and (3) Stronger skills in discipline-specific methods and procedures. Secondary student outcomes included (1) Expanded professional networks; (2) Greater sense of belonging in the scientific community; (3) More refined career goals; and (4) Stronger professional skills.
Course and station context: To qualify, students must have completed one year of general biology and/or one year of general chemistry while maintaining a 3.0 minimum GPA. The qualifications to apply are kept at a minimum, by design, to ensure that first-year students are eligible to apply. No prior research experience was required. The application process was open in December; applications were due in early February; and selections were made in early March for the subsequent summer. Phone or face-to-face interviews were conducted with each finalist as part of the application process. All interns were required to live on site. A stipend and free housing were provided.
During the internship, students were assigned to one of three long-term projects at the TMU Biology Field Station and conducted this research as part of a small group of students and one faculty mentor. In addition, students were required to conduct a small-scale independent-study project of their own choosing, in collaboration with a faculty mentor. For the independent-study project, students were required to conduct a literature search, write a proposal and carry out the project within the course of their summer internship. At the conclusion of the summer, students made on oral presentation on their group work and a poster presentation on their independent project.
In addition, student interns were required to attend a summer seminar series during which professionals presented their research and spent a day observing the students in action. Lastly, students participated in field trips and tours to labs at the EPA, USFW, and local governmental agencies and served as mentors for a weeklong STEM camp for high school students.
The TMU Biology Field Station is a residential field station, where students live together in houses. In addition to the residential structures, there are three labs, four classrooms and a STEM Outreach Center. Students, staff and faculty eat meals together and socialize together in both formal and informal activities throughout the summer.
Data collection: In order to assess change (increases in perceived ability or value), the field station director used a pre/post survey to identify student perceptions before they began the internship and after they ended the internship. The survey included measures about research practices and processes, discipline-specific concepts and content, and discipline-specific methods and procedures. The survey also included measures about career goals and professional skills. The field station director also conducted mid-summer and exit interviews with each student intern to explore perceptions about their knowledge and skills gained through the program. While this assessment was created for an institutional annual report, the Director also used these data for support of additional external funding in grant applications and also compared the findings to previous years’ surveys.
Next steps : Findings from the survey responses and interviews indicated that students in the internship program gained knowledge and skills in research practices and in discipline-specific content, methods and procedures. Further, students indicated more refined career goals and professional skills, namely oral and written skills. Students in the internship perceived increased confidence in their ability to communicate about science and an increased scientific network.
Future assessment work will consist of additional surveys and interviews with students a year later to explore how the internship experience impacted their academic work in the subsequent school year and career development. Lastly, attempts are being made to contact student interns from previous years to determine their specific career path and status.