RCN-UBE Incubator: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences for Students Underrepresented in Biology

The goal of this project is to establish multi-faceted course-based undergraduate research experiences in cellular genetics and socio-biology for students underrepresented in biology. Community colleges serve almost half of the undergraduates in the U.S., including many minority low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students, and many of these students are pursuing careers in biology.

In this rapidly changing field, it is important that community college faculty have up-to-date teaching materials that reflect the most recent discoveries in biology and innovative data-analysis approaches. This network will bring appropriate teaching materials and offer professional development with the goal of incorporating cutting-edge biology research and high-impact teaching practices to improve student outcomes.

Empowering community college faculty to increase student success will have a significant impact on the qualifications and diversity of the science and technology workforce. This project will take place at Edward Waters College, distinctively the state of Florida’s first independent institution of higher learning as well as Florida’s first institution established for the education of African Americans.

The wide-spread use of DNA sequence data to enhance biological understanding, brings unique challenges for biology educators. Skills from computer and data sciences have become core competencies for students even though many biology faculty completed formal training without the computational expertise needed to effectively engage in this field. This network will bring together members of OMICS ((proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics)) education networks, leveraging their combined expertise to identify and curate common analysis tools, associated curricular and assessment materials, and faculty training strategies to facilitate the adoption of OMICS instruction.

By making existing resources accessible, the network will enable current faculty to guide undergraduate biology students participating in authentic research projects. Such work will enhance the ability of students to become productive members of the technological work-force, to succeed in post-graduation studies in biology and related disciplines, and to be better informed citizens and decision makers.

The network will develop a consensus set of vetted resources and training materials to be disseminated to the education community through a single web portal for use in undergraduate classrooms. The network will also advance preparation of adjunct biology faculty and recruitment of future junior faculty, who might not otherwise have the opportunity to build relationships with tenured faculty around the country.

This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.