The Future of Early Research - ACS Symposium ... - ACS Publications

Chapter 13

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The Future of Early Research Desmond H. Murray,1,* Sherine Obare,2 and James H. Hageman3 1Building Excellence in Science and Technology (BEST Early; www.bestearly.com), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49104-0430 2Department of Chemistry, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5413 3Office of the President, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan 48859 *E-mail: [email protected]

In our concluding chapter we, editors and chapter authors, summarize opportunities that exist for universal adoption of early research. We further provide specific recommendations for implementation across the educational spectrum of high school, community colleges and traditional four-year colleges and research universities.

1. Introduction At the birth of a predicted new era for chemistry (1–5) and with fast-moving changes across other STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, including STEM education, we are convinced that early researchers, as defined in our introductory chapter, have an enormous opportunity to make significant contributions to science and society. We are persuaded that universal and seamless adoption of early research can be a game-changer with domino effects across the STEM education system. It can, for example, impact inclusion and diversity, curriculum and instruction, student success and retention, and teacher training and funding throughout our nation’s STEM education institutions, from primary to tertiary. We foresee a future not only of traditional research universities but also of research high schools and research community colleges. These early research institutions (ERIs) would represent much more than a prosaic and utilitarian impulse to conduct research. Rather, we envision ERIs fully embracing and nurturing the depth, breadth, and power of human curiosity. © 2016 American Chemical Society Murray et al.; The Power and Promise of Early Research ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.

We believe that human curiosity is not only the foundation of all learning but it is our uniquely human and perhaps only path to survival in an often complex and challenging universe. In concluding The Power and Promise of Early Research, we, the book editors and chapter authors, highlight the opportunities and offer recommendations for the future of early research.

2. Opportunities Downloaded by UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO on December 12, 2016 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): November 22, 2016 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2016-1231.ch013

(a) Wider Adoption of Next Generation Science Standards As indicated in section 1.7.2 of the introductory chapter, there is growing acceptance across the United States of the Next Generation Science Standards that, among other things, emphasizes the processes of STEM as done by practicing scientists, engineers and mathematicians. We believe this is a great opportunity that can eventually lead to universal adoption of early research at the high school level throughout the United States. Together, they can serve as an excellent model of science education for other countries around the world. (b) Expansion of Early College High School To Include Early Research The growing trend of high school students taking college courses is having a significant and transformative impact on education in the United States especially among historically underrepresented groups (HUGs). The Early College High School (ECHS) concept (6) initiated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where high school students are dually enrolled in college is attractive to many parents concerned about the rising costs of higher education. ECHS is often offered at no or little cost to students. Nationally, this model increases the chances of students graduating from high school. It also increases the number of students who attend college. Community colleges and universities around the United States are partnering with high schools to increase ECHS offerings to students. A 2013 American Institute of Research report showed that 81 percent of Early College students enrolled in college, relative to 72 percent of comparison students. Even if this increase reflects some self-selection effects, it seems reasonable and likely that early preparation and engagement will facilitate college retention and matriculation for participants in ECHS programs. This can be especially true for students from HUGs. Given this trend, the potential to strengthen students’ preparedness in STEM through early research is opportune. While ECHS currently focuses primarily on providing students with early access to a college curriculum and rigorous content, it does also provide a unique opportunity to incorporate hands-on research early and seamlessly. We suggest that engaging these students in Introductory Research/ Principles of Research courses along with authentic hands-on research can be part of the Early College High School curriculum offerings. Partnerships between universities and high schools to incorporate authentic research into the curriculum is likely to strengthen students’ critical thinking skills, their ability to appreciate the value of the knowledge gained from classroom lectures and to understand how it is applicable toward addressing broader scientific and societal problems. 248 Murray et al.; The Power and Promise of Early Research ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.


(c) Transforming Community Colleges There are recent developments at the community college level that now provide an opportunity and context for greater engagement by their students in authentic early research. These developments include: (i) greater federal-level emphasis, support and funding for community colleges, (ii) “grassroots” efforts of the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative (CCURI) to help faculty and students get more involved in hands-on research experiences, and (iii) incorporation of more courses, programs, certificates and degrees that prepare students for more STEM-intensive and STEM-related careers, for example, in biotechnology, alternative energy and integrated medicine. (d) Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) Over the last few years, there has been a significant uptick in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) (7–10). As discussed in Chapter 1, this is an obvious opportunity that should be fully encouraged and embraced by STEM departments in colleges and universities across the United States. A CURE is defined as “a course in which students are expected to engage in science research with the aim of producing results that are of potential interest to a scientific community.” Course-based research has the advantage of targeting a much larger number of students than traditional mentored research. This is especially important for students who are first generation in college, from underrepresented groups in STEM or are low-income students and students who may otherwise not participate in authentic research experiences. Some of these students may generally not find time for research due to (a) work and/or family obligations, (b) lack of knowledge of such opportunities, and/or (c) lack of confidence that they could be successful. Studies have shown that CURE increases students’ tolerance for obstacles and provides them with an increased sense of belonging to a larger community. Such qualities are especially helpful for women and other historically underrepresented students who are often benignly overlooked in scientific research labs. Participation in research activities further strengthens students’ ability to communicate, collaborate, and enhance their motivation to learn about science. Furthermore, some evidence suggests that students involved in CUREs demonstrate gains in their technical and analytical skills, content knowledge, and overall marketability. However, as Linn et al. have pointed out in their meta-study (11), to justify increased investment of funds and faculty effort, it will be very important going forward to develop the right metrics to determine the impact of these research opportunities vis-à-vis one-on-one mentored research and to modify them in order to maximize their value. Nevertheless, we propose hiring faculty whose major teaching responsibility is to design, manage, conduct and evaluate CUREs. This effort should be thoughtfully considered across the education spectrum ranging from high schools to universities. Any efforts along these lines will be well served by consulting the framework and guidelines for objective evaluation discussed by Linn et al. We suggest that collaborations between STEM faculty and trained education 249 Murray et al.; The Power and Promise of Early Research ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.

specialists should be an important component to objectively evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of CUREs.


(e) Federal Leadership, Focus and Support of STEM Inclusion Programs Despite the challenges faced by shrinking federal funding, there still seems to remain a core commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion in specific programs and as part of the broader impact of federally funded research grants. Specific examples are highlighted in Chapter 1. These initiatives also provides early opportunities for engagement of HUGs in STEM research.

(f) Greater Private Sector Support of STEM In recent years there has been broader and deeper participation of the private sector in enhancing STEM education and in increasing diversity and inclusion in the STEM workforce in a number of ways. We suggest that some of these resources, and perhaps additional resources, might usefully be focused on providing greater opportunities for early research, using successful models, as described in this book, as targets for funding.

3. Recommendations (a) Teacher Training and Development Training of teachers to design and supervise authentic research for high schools, community colleges and four-year colleges is critical for implementing effective early research courses and programs. This would also facilitate (i) building seamless and collaborative research opportunities across the high school – community college – university level spectrum, and (ii) establishing research high schools and research community colleges. One specific idea is to establish federally-funded, state-based, universitylocated boot camps to train high school teachers and/or community college instructors to engage their students in early research in discipline-specific and interdisciplinary projects. If every university in the country were to invite a few teachers each year for short experiences (1-3 weeks) rather than longer durations (6-8 weeks), with repeat experiences and follow-up communication encouraged, a larger participation rate may result. This can include summer research experiences for small groups of teachers along with their students hosted by university STEM departments. Simultaneously, there is a need to train college and university faculty to (i) develop authentic research projects for pre-college and early college students, (ii) create a more inclusive and supportive classroom and lab environment in existing STEM courses, in lieu of the weed-out culture that currently exists and (iii) design and implement CUREs effectively and more broadly. 250 Murray et al.; The Power and Promise of Early Research ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.


(b) Greater Awareness and Support for Existing Programs While some re-invention is needed, there already exists early research programs that should be promoted and supported more than they are currently. All high school, community college and four-year college STEM teachers and their departments should be aware of and actively encourage their students to access online sites and resources that provide opportunities and funding for conducting and presenting research. Specific examples of such opportunities include the American Chemical Society’s Project SEED program, and local, regional, national, and international science fairs and competitions. Programs such as Project SEED do an excellent job transforming the lives of student’s cross-demographically from low-income families. Other professional scientific organizations should be encouraged to develop and deliver analogous programs in their specific disciplines. Names and links of online sites, resources, opportunities, programs, and funding relevant to early research were provided in Chapter 1. (c) Institutionalizing Early Research All STEM departments at community colleges, two- and four-year colleges, and universities should offer freshmen and sophomore level independent research courses for credit as part of their curriculum. STEM degree-certifying bodies should require that all STEM students take these early courses that involve authentic hands-on research. However, individual departments should be given flexibility around how and when to offer these courses. For example, they can be offered in the academic school year or during the summer. Perhaps this requirement could be met through internships at industrial or governmental labs or by participation in established initiatives, such as the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) programs. Summer bridge programs for incoming freshmen that would engage them in authentic early research coupled with, if needed, math and science remediation, at their respective colleges might be offered. Faculty involvement in early research efforts should be formally recognized as part of the merit, promotion, and tenure process. At the high school level, coordinated and sustained efforts must be undertaken across the entire American secondary school system that incorporates significant time and resources for establishing research project periods. This should become part of every high school curriculum. Standards and guidelines ought to be developed to ensure accountability and effectiveness of high school research. (d) Conferences and Alliances Pre-college and college teachers should be encouraged and given all necessary support to attend and participate in STEM education and research conferences, such as: Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, National Consortium of Specialized STEM Schools, National Science Teachers Association, and the Council of Undergraduate Research. Encouraging high school and college teachers to attend these conferences is likely to build a groundswell of enthusiasm 251 Murray et al.; The Power and Promise of Early Research ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.


and support for early research. These conferences are great venues for pre-college and college STEM teachers to share ideas, formally and informally, for early research initiatives. In general, stronger alliances and seamless connections between high schools, colleges and universities should be established around early research programs and other STEM initiatives. We believe administrators of each of these bodies must take the lead in finding ways to achieve such connections. Without such leadership individual faculty members and departments may be reluctant to initiate the necessary actions to form such coalitions. (e) Reversing Pedagogical Assumptions & Prerequisites The accepted norm, up and down our educational system, is that students meet certain criteria and often complete numerous prerequisites before they are allowed to conduct authentic research. For all the reasons delineated throughout this book, this culture needs to be completely reversed if we are to make a significant impact on STEM education and our country’s economic future. Simply put, all students across all demographics should be given the opportunity to engage in authentic hands-on research, early, often, and universally. In many institutions, with high profile researchers and research programs, college underclassmen are routinely not included in lab work unless they have high grades or come to the university with some prior experience. Some faculty members often have biases that tend to discourage or even exclude students who do not have high grades or are from historically underrepresented groups. University administrators should thus be more proactive about diversity and inclusion efforts at their institutions to ensure that mechanisms do exist to promote, enhance and celebrate early research for all. Faculty, staff, college advisors, and students should consistently be involved in conversations on how to innovate teaching methods to engage all students including those from diverse populations in early research. Proactive steps should be taken to provide campus environments that are inclusive and supportive of student needs, regardless of their background. Fortunately, many institutions are already engaged in such dialogues and proactive measures to intentionally ensure that all students have full access to research opportunities. Success in engaging STEM students in early research should not be the job of one group of people, but requires all hands on deck. High school teachers, community college faculty members, university researchers, funding agencies, local and national donors, high school and university administrators, and parents all need to be fully engaged so that together we can fully unleash the power and promise of early research. (f) Incorporating an Early Research Requirement in All Federal Research Grants All federal agencies that provide research funding should explicitly require all principal investigators to actively support and budget for an early research component in their proposal. The National Science Foundation (NSF) leans in 252 Murray et al.; The Power and Promise of Early Research ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.


this direction by requiring all its grant applications to address the broader impact of the research. Many scientists are eager to address the scientific details of their grant proposal but often neglect to reflect upon the broader societal impact of their work, even though their research is supported by public funds. However, through NSF’s insistence on broader impact principal investigators have generally become more engaged in working with local high schools and community colleges. This agency-driven initiative is an excellent mechanism for ensuring the widespread adoption of early research and should be made a requirement by all federal agencies. Private foundations should be encouraged to do the same. Such a requirement will incentivize early research and facilitate increases in the retention rates of students, from all socioeconomic levels, in STEM fields.

(g) Proactive Public Science It is important that human interest stories of early research be widely shared by early researchers as a public good using all available media platforms, including social media. This public science aspect of early research, as discussed extensively in Chapter 12, will (i) encourage other students to get involved with research, (ii) develop marketable skills in communicating science and research to the general public, (iii) nurture a generation of scientists and engineers that are “bilingual” in technical and nontechnical communication, (iv) inform and educate the general public about the power and promise of early research, and (v) provide a degree of public accountability by early researchers for their use of public funds for conducting research. Mass dissemination about and advocacy for early research is a critical element towards the goal of its universal adoption.

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The Future of Early Research - ACS Symposium ... - ACS Publications

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