Integrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles

ABSTRACT Research-based courses are a powerful way to engage undergraduates in the scientific process while simultaneously teaching participants relevant laboratory, analysis, and scientific communication skills. In most programs, students conduct a simulated project which effectively improves stude...

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Autores principales:	Brent M. Peyton, Dana J. Skorupa
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2021
Materias:	CURE ongoing research undergraduate field experience high-throughput sequencing cultivation Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/6d2a7d07b32c4cc0bd6edc6268950def
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:6d2a7d07b32c4cc0bd6edc6268950def2021-11-15T15:04:51ZIntegrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles10.1128/jmbe.00102-211935-78851935-7877https://doaj.org/article/6d2a7d07b32c4cc0bd6edc6268950def2021-09-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00102-21https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7877https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7885ABSTRACT Research-based courses are a powerful way to engage undergraduates in the scientific process while simultaneously teaching participants relevant laboratory, analysis, and scientific communication skills. In most programs, students conduct a simulated project which effectively improves student conceptions of scientific thinking but does not produce research-quality data. The course described here delivered an authentic research experience by assigning undergraduates an objective from an active grant-funded project. Participants contributed to research aimed at culturing biodegrading thermophiles from hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. Students participated in a backcountry field experience, collecting environmental samples of their choosing and determining appropriate culturing conditions. Following high-temperature incubations, 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified enriched microbial populations, with analytical and microscopy methods tracking degradation and growth. Importantly, several teams successfully cultivated thermophilic plastic-degrading consortia. Student learning was assessed using several methods, including grade distributions on assignments and statistical comparisons of pre- and posttests. A consistent and, in most cases, statistically significant increase was observed in the students’ posttest scores. The grade distribution on summative assessments also suggests that students achieved the desired learning outcomes. Student perceptions of their learning and experience gains were high, with participants reporting improvements in components emphasized in the research activities. Overall, the findings highlight how involving undergraduates in real-world research projects can enhance student interest and ownership of scientific research, along with contributing quality data that inform active studies.Brent M. PeytonDana J. SkorupaAmerican Society for MicrobiologyarticleCUREongoing researchundergraduatefield experiencehigh-throughput sequencingcultivationSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691Biology (General)QH301-705.5ENJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education, Vol 22, Iss 2 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	CURE ongoing research undergraduate field experience high-throughput sequencing cultivation Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5
spellingShingle	CURE ongoing research undergraduate field experience high-throughput sequencing cultivation Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Brent M. Peyton Dana J. Skorupa Integrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles
description	ABSTRACT Research-based courses are a powerful way to engage undergraduates in the scientific process while simultaneously teaching participants relevant laboratory, analysis, and scientific communication skills. In most programs, students conduct a simulated project which effectively improves student conceptions of scientific thinking but does not produce research-quality data. The course described here delivered an authentic research experience by assigning undergraduates an objective from an active grant-funded project. Participants contributed to research aimed at culturing biodegrading thermophiles from hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. Students participated in a backcountry field experience, collecting environmental samples of their choosing and determining appropriate culturing conditions. Following high-temperature incubations, 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified enriched microbial populations, with analytical and microscopy methods tracking degradation and growth. Importantly, several teams successfully cultivated thermophilic plastic-degrading consortia. Student learning was assessed using several methods, including grade distributions on assignments and statistical comparisons of pre- and posttests. A consistent and, in most cases, statistically significant increase was observed in the students’ posttest scores. The grade distribution on summative assessments also suggests that students achieved the desired learning outcomes. Student perceptions of their learning and experience gains were high, with participants reporting improvements in components emphasized in the research activities. Overall, the findings highlight how involving undergraduates in real-world research projects can enhance student interest and ownership of scientific research, along with contributing quality data that inform active studies.
format	article
author	Brent M. Peyton Dana J. Skorupa
author_facet	Brent M. Peyton Dana J. Skorupa
author_sort	Brent M. Peyton
title	Integrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles
title_short	Integrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles
title_full	Integrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles
title_fullStr	Integrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles
title_full_unstemmed	Integrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles
title_sort	integrating cures in ongoing research: undergraduates as active participants in the discovery of biodegrading thermophiles
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/6d2a7d07b32c4cc0bd6edc6268950def
work_keys_str_mv	AT brentmpeyton integratingcuresinongoingresearchundergraduatesasactiveparticipantsinthediscoveryofbiodegradingthermophiles AT danajskorupa integratingcuresinongoingresearchundergraduatesasactiveparticipantsinthediscoveryofbiodegradingthermophiles
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Integrating CUREs in Ongoing Research: Undergraduates as Active Participants in the Discovery of Biodegrading Thermophiles

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