THE POND TEAM: IMPROVING STEM EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS ACROSS THE UNDERGRADUATE SPECTRUM

Out-of-classroom undergraduate research experiences are often restricted to junior and senior students at larger research universities. In fall 2020 we created an interdisciplinary research team focused on 9 on-campus ponds within a unique urban ecosystem. This Pond Team resides within a small teaching-focused regional university. Students are recruited from programs in biology, geosciences and the humanities, and can join at any point in their education. Students work directly with a faculty mentor of their choice in one of several areas: ecology, geology, virology, geography/GIS, or organismal biology. Pond Team holds weekly meetings where teams present research updates, and faculty give seminars or facilitate discussions on topics such as how to use statistical software, read a journal article, create a conference poster or do well in a job interview. At the end of the semester, students present their work in a departmental poster symposium.

Over the course of 6 semesters, 31 total students have signed up for Pond Team, with 9 – 12 students involved each semester. Student participation in the program ranges from 1 semester (7 students) to 6 semesters (1 student). This program has resulted in 2 publications and 26 conference presentations (24 of which have student co-authors). Students completed pre-and post-surveys each semester, as well as a validated survey for self-assessment of learning gains at the end of each semester.

The majority of students felt they were more likely to enroll in a graduate program after participating in Pond Team, indicating increased persistence in STEM research-oriented careers. Students reported gains in science process skills like analyzing data, understanding research design limitations and connecting research with coursework. They also reported gains in affective areas such as confidence in their ability to do well in and contribute to science and having patience with the scientific process. Other areas with self-reported gains include technical and communication skills. Interdisciplinary research centered on campus ecosystems provides the foundation for this successful undergraduate research program at a primarily undergraduate institution.