Articulating the rules, roles, and values that are expected of undergraduate researchers is important as we strive to create a more accessible path into the scientific community. Rules refer to skills required of scientists, roles refer to behaviors consistent with the expectations of a scientist, and values refer to beliefs of the scientific…

Undergraduate students interact with the culture of scientific research when they participate in direct mentorship experiences and laboratory courses such as course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Much work has been done to explore how CUREs impact the interest, motivation, and retention of undergraduate students in science.…

In 2014, the NIH Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) launched an initiative to implement and evaluate novel interventions at a variety of academic institutions across the country to engage undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds in biomedically-related research. The local intervention examined in the current study provides Critical Race…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, undergraduate research experiences were deeply impacted--either canceled or pivoted to a range of remote experiences. In Summer 2020 and Spring 2021, we designed two rounds of remote programming aimed to build students' life science research skills and provide opportunities for mentoring and networking. Building…

Previously, we described a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) for first-year students that featured a unique approach to brain mapping in a model organism (rat). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted this course for an online learning environment, emphasizing image analysis (identifying immunoreactive signal in an…

The benefits of undergraduate research to student persistence and success has been established in the literature. Less studied, however, is the long term impact of early exposure to research among students from underserved backgrounds. This qualitative study of undergraduates participating in a unique summer research program uncovers the deeper…

Emory University has had a long relationship with His Holiness the Dalai Lama through the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative. Recently the Tenzin Gyatso Science Scholars, who are Tibetan Buddhist monastics that reside and take courses on Emory's campus, were enrolled in a novel science research course designed and taught by undergraduate students at…

Background: The field of collaborative biostatistics plays a critical role in translating scientific discoveries into practical applications by providing sound statistical analysis, ensuring data integrity, and facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration in translational science and decision-making in healthcare. The role of a collaborative…

Undergraduate research experience is the process where undergraduates contribute to the development of a subject field through their inquiry-based learning (IBL). IBL is a student-centered learning strategy. Students work as professional scientists do, through inquiry. This article presents approaches to IBL and practices of an instructor from…

This qualitative study examined how university students learn to engage in the practices of scientific inquiry via research apprenticeships and how such experiences prepare them to be STEM literate. Surveys and interviews addressed two primary research questions: 1. What is the nature of interaction between student participant and faculty mentor?…

The Oklahoma IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (OK-INBRE) provides a formalized mentoring program and grant awards to new and early-stage faculty throughout Oklahoma. The OK-INBRE Research Project Investigator (RPI) award program has supported 30 faculty from both research-intensive universities and primarily undergraduate…

Undergraduate research experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are championed for promoting students' personal and professional development. Mentorship is an integral part of undergraduate research, as effective mentorship maximizes the benefits undergraduates realize from participating in research. Yet almost no…

For many college students, joining a research group is a critical step toward developing strong mentor-mentee relationships that help shape their science identities and research self-efficacy. ReBUILDetroit, a program that seeks to diversify the biomedical research workforce, uses a scaffolded process to help its scholars transition into research.…

This case study investigated how mentors and mentees in biology experience and understand race and ethnicity in their research mentoring relationships. Semistructured interviews were conducted with mentors (n = 23) and mentees (n = 15) who had participated in an undergraduate biology summer research opportunity program at a large Midwestern…

A compelling body of research suggests that students from racially marginalized and minoritized (RMM) backgrounds are systematically deterred from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields when teachers and scientists create ideologically colorblind STEM learning environments where cultural differences are deemed irrelevant and…