RCN-UBE: connecting curriculum: a fly-cure network

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Biological Infrastructure under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) provides $250,000 over 5 years to Oregon State University to create a Research Coordination Network (RCN) that will develop four new Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) focused on topics such as bioinformatics, behavioral genetics, molecular biology, and developmental biology. The goal is to expand upon an existing genetics laboratory CURE, called "Fly-CURE", and engage a broader network of faculty, especially from underrepresented and under-resourced institutions, in implementing CUREs that provide students hands-on, inquiry-based research experiences. The RCN will also foster a collaborative scientific community among participating faculty and assess the effectiveness of this approach in recruiting diverse faculty.

Abstract

The goal of this project is to create a research coordination network (RCN) to connect new course-based undergraduate research experiences (cures) that are expansions of a genetics laboratory cure, called fly-cure. The fly-cure RCN will act as a centralized hub for training undergraduates in four new cures encompassing in-demand curricular topics: bioinformatics, behavioral genetics, molecular biology, and developmental biology. The creation of these cures will not only bolster the existing scientific knowledge base regarding the relationship between genes and growth and development, but also increase student participation in research across biological sub-disciplines. Cures allow students to participate in hands-on and inquiry-based research which increase their critical thinking skills, learning gains, and sense of belonging in science. These new cures will also include student-led community-based service learning opportunities to introduce scientific discovery to young learners to further promote student persistence in stem and prepare them for future scientific careers. For faculty, the fly-cure RCN will provide opportunities to actively engage in and publish scientific research and connect with a shared scientific community which is especially challenging at under-resourced institutions including community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and primarily undergraduate institutions. The first goal of the fly-cure RCN is to develop four new cures, each designed to involve undergraduate students in the analysis of drosophila melanogaster mutants, discovered in the original genetics fly-cure, using different disciplinary approaches. This RCN will increase the number of faculty implementing cures by targeting faculty at community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and primarily undergraduate institutions. The second goal of fly-cure RCN is to foster a scientific community of faculty participants and assess whether this approach is effective at recruiting faculty from underrepresented groups, early-career faculty, and faculty from an array of institutional types. The fly-cure has successfully retained faculty thus far and has contributed to the professional advancement of participants. Considering the limited resources and research support often available at smaller institutions, this project provides the scientific training and peer support needed for faculty involvement in successful cures through professional development and collaborative interactions across the network. This project is being jointly funded by the directorate for biological sciences, division of biological infrastructure, and the directorate for stem education, division of undergraduate education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in vision and change in undergraduate biology education: a call to action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.