Chemical Education Today edited by
Association Reports: CUR
Kerry Karukstis Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 91711
Community-Based Research A New Paradigm for Undergraduate Research in the Sciences by Kerry K. Karukstis
Community-based research—research developed and conducted in service of unmet community-identified needs—is an increasingly popular experiential opportunity for undergraduates in the sciences (1). As with any new academic venture, participants must address a variety of issues to ensure a successful educational outcome. In conjunction with symposia and workshops on community-based research, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) conducted a survey (2) among the attendees at its 2004 National Conference to explore various models of communitybased research. The benefits, challenges, and obstacles to this non-traditional approach to undergraduate research were also examined and are reported here. Identifying the Community Meeting attendees broadly interpreted the notion of “community” in community-based research. Stakeholders included not-for-profit community service and welfare organizations, local governmental agencies, small businesses owned and operated in the locale, neighborhood groups, and even individuals who reside in the region. Local public and private schools, libraries, museums, and faith-based organizations were also often cited as community examples. Any one or even a combination of these stakeholders may serve as the focus for undergraduate civic engagement. Critical Elements of Community-Based Research Survey participants were asked to delineate the elements that are necessary for research to be defined as communitybased. Responders almost unanimously (97.1%) stated that such research requires the selected topic to be relevant to the local community and further agreed (79.4%) that the results needed to be presented to the local community. Viewing such research as inherently collaborative (75.0%), meeting participants agreed that professional researchers in conjunction with the local community should choose the research topic (85.3%), collect the data (73.5%), present the data to the community (77.9%), and present the data to policymakers (86.8%). However, research design, data analysis, and communication of results to the scientific community were more likely to be designated as activities to be performed entirely by professional researchers. The recommended stages of involvement for undergraduates included designing the research, collecting and analyzing the data, and presenting the results to both the local and scientific communities. Benefits of Community-Based Research A discussion on the benefits of community-based research separately considered the rewards for students and for faculty. www.JCE.DivCHED.org
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For undergraduates, responders routinely cited the importance of learning real-world applications of a discipline, highlighting the relevance of science, and working on real problems. Indeed, the words “relevant” and “real-world” as well as “purpose” and “utility” appeared in more than 35% of the responses. It is clear that the focus of community-based research is appealing to many students who want to see the practical value of science. One survey participant noted, “The greatest single benefit is probably showing students that what scientists do has a direct benefit to and impact on the larger community that they daily live in” (2). For faculty, community-based research provides a connection to the local community, an opportunity to become involved and invested in the community in which they reside. The service and outreach component of communitybased research was viewed as an essential component that provided tremendous personal rewards. Nearly 90% of respondents viewed this form of research as “a chance to give back to the local community.” Many noted that such research activity provided a mechanism for blending seemingly separate roles of teaching, research, and service and reducing the compartmentalization of faculty professional lives. Such efforts also enhance the visibility and image of the institution. Improving town and gown relations is a positive outcome of community-based research cited by 75% of survey participants. Obstacles and Challenges Meeting attendees were asked to identify the “greatest single philosophical or intellectual challenge of doing community-based research.” Most responses focused on three issues. (1) Designing a meaningful research project involving a topic of mutual interest to both researcher and community was of paramount importance to participants and a common challenge. Additional factors that must be considered in formulating a particular research project include the research skills and time constraints of undergraduates and the availability of funding. (2) Once the project is defined, researchers struggle with insuring the scientific rigor of the investigation while being sensitive to the desire for community input and involvement. Most respondents assumed that community members would have little understanding of how scientific research is conducted and would require explanations of why scientific methodology is necessary. (3) Finally, survey participants expressed concern over community-based research being accepted as legitimate research by their disciplinary peers and by their institutions. When asked to identify “the greatest logistical obstacle” on their campuses for conducting community-based research, respondents cited time more than any other deterrent. The
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Chemical Education Today
Association Reports: CUR time to develop connections within the community and to locate and initiate projects was viewed as an additional burden beyond traditional research obstacles and, in some cases, was judged as an insurmountable barrier. The lack of recognition by the academic community for this type of research often contributed to time constraints, as faculty conducting community-based research often did so as an additional line of research. The difficulty of designing research projects to fit the academic schedule was another time issue, although this impediment is not unique to community-based research. However, faculty also cited the lack of adequate transportation for undergraduate participation as a hindrance not faced by traditional laboratory research investigations (yet a potential obstacle for field research). One of the workshops at the CUR 2004 National Conference described a particular institutional mechanism for addressing a range of obstacles for conducting community-based research. The formal creation of an Office of CommunityBased and Applied Research at Indiana University East enabled faculty to strengthen their interactions with the community (3). In particular, two important roles for this office included serving as an information portal about scientific research for the community and functioning as an entry point for the community to communicate and interact with the faculty. Successful Community-Based Research Efforts The CUR 2004 National Conference featured a number of successful collaborative research efforts involving local communities. Two chemistry faculty, in particular, were speakers in the plenary session devoted to community-based research. Alanah Fitch, Professor of Analytical Chemistry and Director of the Environmental Studies/Science program at Loyola University of Chicago, described an educational program in which students in her undergraduate analytical chemistry courses participate with community groups to measure lead in inner city residences and neighborhoods (4, 5). Her educational activities on problem-based and communitybased learning were recognized in 1996 through a national award sponsored by Anheuser-Busch. Ray Turner, Executive Dean of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Roxbury Community College, Roxbury, MA, is currently involved in an environmental science program known as FUSION—Facilitating Urban Science Initiatives by Organizational Networking—that engages more than 30 federal, state, and local agencies in collaborative research projects related to environmental issues (6, 7).
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Conclusions Survey participants were overwhelmingly supportive of community-based research as a powerful way for students to learn important research skills and for faculty to contribute to their local community. As more successful examples of such collaborative ventures are shared within the academic community, this form of research is likely to become increasingly incorporated in traditional undergraduate research programs. CUR hopes that its survey on attitudes towards communitybased research will assist faculty in finding innovative ways to facilitate this form of undergraduate research in the sciences. Literature Cited 1. Paul, E. L. Undergraduate Research for the Public Good: Engaging Undergraduates in Community-Based Research. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly 2003, 23, 180–185. 2. A Survey on Attitudes Towards Community-Based Research. Council on Undergraduate Research: Washington, DC, 2004; http://www.cur.org/pdf/CUR2004CBR_SurveyResult.pdf (accessed Nov 2004). 3. Jerzak, P. A.; Foos, C. L.; Blakefield, M.; Clark, K.; Harper, J. Creation of an Office of Community-Based and Applied Research at Indiana University East. CUR2004 National Conference, LaCrosse, WI, July 2004. 4. Fitch, A.; Reppmann, A.; Schmidt, J. The Ethics of Community/Undergraduate Collaborative Research in Chemistr y. In Acting Locally: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Environmental Studies, Ward, H., Ed.; American Association for Higher Education: Washington, DC, 1999. 5. Cordes, C. How Community-Based Research Changed a Professor’s Career. The Chronicle of Higher Education 45, September 18, 1998. 6. Turner, R. The F.U.S.I.O.N. Incubator: A Model for Influencing and Contributing to Advanced Scientific Research through Interagency Collaboration and Partnership. Abstracts of Papers, CHED-465, 227th ACS National Meeting, Anaheim, CA, March 28–April 1, 2004. 7. Turner, R. E. Spinning ATOMS Draws Energy from FUSION. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 1246–1250.
Kerry K. Karukstis is in the Department of Chemistry, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711;
[email protected].
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