Four-Year Research Engagement (FYRE) - ACS Publications

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Four-Year Research Engagement (FYRE) Program at the University of Oklahoma: Integrating Research in Undergraduate Curriculum Naga Rama Kothapalli* Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States *E-mail: [email protected].

The Four-Year Research Engagement (FYRE) program has been developed to promote STEM undergraduate research at the University of Oklahoma (OU). The FYRE program is a multi-year program for students interested in a STEM career path and is composed of FYRE1 – FYRE4. This program parallels and significantly adds to the course curriculum of OU STEM students with an emphasis on developing research skills. In this program, we expect a diverse population of undergraduates including first-year, under-represented and transfer students to conduct semester-long, mentored research internships. The FYRE program is built on the foundation of a very successful campus-wide first-year research experience, existing since 2012. The first-year research experience (FYRE1 program) allowed selected OU first-year students to conduct a mentored, semester-long experimental project in an OU research laboratory. In the second year, we focus on the STEM engagement of students through a FYRE2 seminar course where discussing the role of science and technology in transforming society and the world. During the third and fourth years (FYRE3 and FYRE4), the content of the seminar courses emphasize tangibly important skills and content for a future in STEM. This project is a scalable program to engage students in meaningful chemical research that can readily incorporate independent inquiry. © 2018 American Chemical Society Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.


Introduction The preparation and training of a diverse technical workforce will allow the United States to remain a world leader in innovation and technology. This requires a significant change in the education of undergradutaes interested in the STEM fields to include interdisciplinary research exposure that combines STEM methods and theories with societal context to motivate student learning. There is an emerging consensus that one path forward towards implementing these systemic changes in undergraduate education is discipline-based research (1). With the rapidly evolving technological scene, it is imperative that students understand the need to assess and promote the transfer of knowledge and skills within and across disciplines as they major in different STEM fields (2). One of the primary requirements for interdisciplinary conversation among undergraduates is an avenue for them to meet and discuss their research with their peer group on a regular basis. At the University of Oklahoma, a four-year research engagement program is one such avenue, which brings together students from different disciplines with research interest to discuss research and scientific developments.

The Four-Year Research Engagement (FYRE) Program The Four-Year Research Engagement (FYRE) program was designed as a gateway program for undergraduates at the University of Oklahoma (OU) interested in conducting research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. As a gateway program, FYRE allows incoming first-years (freshmen and transfer students) to obtain research experience at the start of their academic program at OU. This program was officially launched in 2016 with multi-level institutional support (i.e. faculty, departmental, college and provost level support). The FYRE program, detailed below, is a multi-year program designed to mentor and train all OU students interested in a STEM career path. The FYRE program parallels but is independent of the curriculum in different STEM majors. The current FYRE program is built on the foundation of a very successful campus-wide first year research experience, established in 2012. The evolving FYRE program is designed to help OU students, in their first year, participate in research related activities and continue until graduation. The FYRE1 program, instituted at OU from 2013-2016, on a small scale was successful in accelerating students’ interest in STEM research and in building a critical mass of interdisciplinary undergraduate researchers. We believed the impact of the program could be significantly increased by: 1) extending the benefits of the FYRE1 program into a multi-year experience and; 2) broadening the population of participating students from only Honors students to all undergraduates interested in STEM professions. The new FYRE program is a multi-year program that offers students different support based on their year in the program. The program is divided into FYRE1 (first-year experience), FYRE2 (second-year engagement) and FYRE3 (third-year engagement), and FYRE4 (fourth-year engagement). A schematic of the current program is shown in Figure 1. 24 Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.


Figure 1. Schematic representation of FYRE Program. FYRE1 engaged selected OU first-year students to conduct a mentored, semester-long experimental project in an OU research laboratory for which students earn three credit hours with a grade. The FYRE1 program is a campus-wide initiative with students in many different STEM majors participating as well as non-majors. The primary goals of the FYRE1 program are: 1) to provide a safe, constructive, instructive, relevant and immersive experience in experimental research; 2) provide a gateway to understanding applied scientific research and its relationship to theoretical learning; and 3) to create a critical mass of undergraduate on a STEM professional trajectory at the University of Oklahoma. FYRE1 students, matched based on their research interests, conduct a semester of basic experimentation in research groups across 14 different OU STEM departments: Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biology, Microbiology and Plant Biology, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, Health and Exercise Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sustainability, Geology and Geophysics, Anthropology, and Meteorology. Examples of the research conducted and presented by the students at the end of semester poster session can be seen on our website http://fyre.oucreate.com. In 2016, the FYRE1 program expanded to target STEM students that had recently transferred to OU. Since feedback from the small number of students gaining research experience was very positive, we have introduced this as a regular component of the program. For students who are unsure of their interests or research capabilities, they meet with the instructor to discuss a variety of publications to determine their interests prior to joining a group. Additionally, we have secured funding to provide assistantships to a few students during summer to promote additional participation. The FYRE2 program will be for all students who have either completed the FYRE1 program, or for any student that has completed a full semester of undergraduate research. We have observed that approximately half of the FYRE1 students remain active as undergraduate researchers in their second year. To help 25 Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.


with students’ development as research professionals, we introduced a 1-credit hour seminar course to keep them engaged in the process of research. As STEM interested students in their second year are still likely in a formative stage of STEM-development, the FYRE2 seminar course focuses on the role of science and technology to transform society and the world. The FYRE3 and FYRE4 years of the program are designed to emphasize skills that are important and tangible for a future STEM professional. The FYRE3 and FYRE4 courses focus on developing professional leadership skills, such as teamwork and communication (FYRE3) and problem solving in innovative research (FYRE4). These skills have been described as key skills for future STEM career success (3). The FYRE3 course focuses on leadership and communication in STEM fields, while FYRE4 course focuses on the nuts-and-bolts of how innovation and research are conducted in STEM fields. Some of the topics covered in these seminar courses are grant writing, venture capital funding, intellectual property, and building research groups. These skill development courses are designed to offer assistance in writing summer fellowship applications, applying to graduate programs, and interviewing for STEM jobs. Additionally, individual STEM advisement provided by the FYRE program continues throughout FYRE3 and FYRE4. FYRE is a “True Center-of-Mass” of STEM Development and Undergraduate Research at the University of Oklahoma. The FYRE program currently enhances all other STEM programs at the University of Oklahoma by serving as the source for STEM-research focused undergraduates on campus. The FYRE program acts as an ideal informational conduit to make students aware of the other STEM opportunities on campus, such as the TRiO programs, the Ronald McNair Scholars program, the Chemistry Learning Community, OK-LSAMP, OU Undergraduate Research Day, the Oklahoma Journal of Undergraduate Research, and many other initiatives. The individual STEM advising provided by the FYRE program ensures that the students are aware of other opportunities to advance in their STEM development, both a OU and at other institutions.

Student Assessments The FYRE program currently allows us access to a relatively large, diverse population of undergraduates in a multitude of STEM disciplines to help us understand the factors that influence a student’s decision to pursue, persevere or abandon STEM disciplines. Our program design allows for conducting such a study, where the participating STEM student population is tracked and studied from their first-year at OU through their graduation and one year beyond. Recently our proposal to explore the correlations between possessing a growth-learning mindset and successfully launching a STEM research professional track has been funded through NSF. Because our program garners participation of students from various disciplines in STEM fields, we aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of students’ attitudes and mindsets, and the influence of having engaged in research, may have on their undergraduate education, as well as, their careers beyond. The assessments designed will allow us to conduct both qualitative and quantitative analysis using surveys and student interviews. 26 Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.


Chemistry Research for Non-Chemistry Majors While research is essential or almost a necessity for students who desire to be successful in STEM careers, it is equally important for non-STEM majors to be exposed to research practices. The advantages have been described in detail in many publications and have been summarized (4–7). One of the common approaches to make research more approachable to non-STEM majors is to make research more relatable and associated with everyday life. To promote participation in chemical research by undergraduates who are not declared chemistry majors and/or non-STEM majors, we created a project called “The Molecular Gastronomy of Coffee” in which students evaluate the flavor components of coffee: an integral part of many people’s lives. We have been able to provide research experience exploring student-driven questions about chemical nature and composition of coffee.

Figure 2. A typical GC-MS chromatogram had over 100 detectable compounds (M = 106).

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, with an estimate of 100 million people drinking coffee daily in United States. The existence of convenient home-brew methods has not decreased the popularity of coffee-shop chains and growth of artisanal coffee roasters and growers. Every 27 Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.


person who partakes in coffee has their own ideas and preferences about best coffee brewing method and how to enjoy it. Several factors affect the complex flavor of any cup of coffee: plant species, country of origin, processing, roasting, grinding, storage, and brew method (8, 9). Additionally, how coffee affects an individual is a combination of chemical, physiological, and physical factors that is unique to an individual consuming coffee. Using chemical techniques both organic and analytical, students can identify chemical flavor components of coffee. The results obtained will provide insight about the variables that affect coffee and help to design brewing methods for specific taste profiles. During this project, students established a methodology to isolate and quantify concentrations of volatile flavor components of coffee samples. The extracts were subsequently processed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). A typical chromatogram obtained after a GCMS run is shown in Figure 2. Using various parameters, students could identify the flavor components of coffee and how they differed depending on the processing of the coffee from a bean stage till it is brewed. Initially, we helped students to learn the theoretical and experimental aspects of organic extraction (both liquid-liquid [LLE] and solidphase [SPME]) as well as GCMS (10, 11). Using previously published methods like liquid-liquid extraction; some compounds could be quantified in an absolute manner. Our students also tested other methods like solid-phase micro-extraction method to determine if more compounds could be isolated to pinpoint the flavor profile of coffee under various conditions. A representative trace of SPME run overlaid with LLE run is shown is Figure 3.

Figure 3. A typical SPME chromatogram had over 80 detectable compounds, while typical liquid-liquid extraction chromatogram had over 140 detectable compounds. 28 Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.


A comparative analysis of LLE and SPME showed that each method was optimum for eluting specific kinds of compounds. LLE was optimal for eluting less volatile compounds towards the end of GCMS run, while SPME was ideal for highly volatile compounds early in the GCMS run. While the number of compounds identified was different, the overlap of compounds allowed us to identify 8 compounds shown in Figure 4 to determine exact concentrations of the other compounds detected (12). They were also able to correlate the flavor of coffee to each of components. Independently, students were asked to pose a question and determine the changes in the levels of these 8 components. The examples of the questions asked are shown in Table 1.

Figure 4. A flavor profile subset of 8 compounds is presented here with their structures, flavor characteristics and flavor threshold.

Overall, this study has revealed several novel aspects in coffee brewing including the alterations in the flavor quality of coffee depending on the ground size and the roasting methods. Additional variables considered were purchase conditions, storage and brewing temperature. The results revealed how the concentration of flavor components differ based on these conditions. As a part of the research project, we also had the students discuss their findings with local coffee roasters and were delighted to have their scientific posters displayed in the coffee shops for more that a week. The students were also able to establish collaborations with the coffee shops to gain access to various kinds of coffee grounds and roasting instruments. As a result, the FYRE program continues working collaboratively with a couple of local roasters to help them improve products. These results have been presented at two national meetings hosted by American Society of Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) (13, 14) and two of our students have written their senior thesis based on their findings in this project. 29 Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.


Table 1. Examples of Independent Inquiry Questions of Students and Results Obtained Question asked and variable tested

Results obtained

Effect of brewing water temperature on coffee flavor Variable: Temperature

Observed a proportional increase number and amount of flavor components with water temperature, specifically hot coffee brewing. Cold brew extracted more components that hot brew.

Difference in flavors between whole bean vs. pre-ground Variable: Ground size

Compared to pre-ground, whole bean coffees have flavor components in greater relative amounts, and also contained some novel compounds. More components were detected in dark roasted; flavors masked by 2-furan methanol

Key differences in instant coffee vs. brewed coffee Variable: Time of preparation

The concentration of flavor components in the instant coffee were not significantly lower than that of the Brazilian coffee except for 2-(hydroxymethyl)furan.

Differences between caffeinated & decaffeinated flavors in green and roasted coffee beans

Coffee beans are decaffeinated when green using water, dichloromethane or ethyl acetate. Both green and roasted decaffeinated coffee contained more variety and abundance of flavor components compared to caffeinated. 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol was the only compound identified in green and roasted coffee.

Comparing flavor profiles of commercially available types of Folgers

Folgers packages 7 different roasts and this study compared flavor profiles of 4 different roasts. Compounds that did show variation were more concentrated in the milder roast and contained “sweet” flavor notes.

Comparing single-serve coffee cups to normal coffee brew.

All coffee had similar amounts of phenol with the light roast having more 2-furan methanol and significantly less butyrolactone compared to the medium roast.

Utilizing everyday ingredients like coffee to develop research projects allow us to broaden participation of students in chemistry research. Non-STEM majors participating in this program gain valuable skills in critical and creative thinking. This approach can be adapted to use various commonly consumed items as test topics with students asking questions regarding their composition as well as decomposition. One of the advantages of this approach is that it can be introduced to first-year students and provide a continuing experience.

Acknowledgments As the program director, I would like to acknowledge the support of the University of Oklahoma Honors College, College of Arts and Sciences and all the participating faculty. The funding to continue this program and conduct student assessments are provided by NSF IUSE grant (NSF#1726889). Special thanks to 30 Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.

Dr. Halterman and Dr. Foster for designing the coffee project to help broaden the scope of this program. Some of the data presented here has been contributed by Ms. Emily Erdman and Ms. Stephanie Allred.

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31 Gourley and Jones; Best Practices for Supporting and Expanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018.

Four-Year Research Engagement (FYRE) - ACS Publications

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