Collaborative Research: REU Site: Phenotypic plasticity research experience for community college students

Parkland College, Champaign IL

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Parkland College, located in Champaign, IL, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020-2022. It is anticipated that 30 students from community colleges will be trained in the program. Students will participate in a research training boot-camp at Parkland followed by the completion of a research project at the University of Illinois. The program will increase the participation of community college students in research. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their further education and eventual career paths. Students will learn how research is conducted and many will present the results of their work as a research poster at scientific conferences. Students will conduct research in the area of phenotypic plasticity, the ability of one genotype to produce more than one phenotype when exposed to different environments. Faculty from multiple departments at the University of Illinois serve as mentors. Examples of past projects include examining the role of stress on neuroanatomy in nematodes, the effect of elevated ozone on soybean growth, and the impact of parental care on reproduction in fish. Applications are accepted from January until March. Applications are evaluated by the program directors and faculty mentors. Successful applications include strong letters of reference and personal statements describing their motivation for participating in the program. The program begins in late May with a research boot-camp where students receive training in navigating scientific literature, understanding research ethics, scientific note taking, and selected scientific techniques. During the research immersion component, students also participate in activities designed to help ease the transfer process from community college to four-year colleges or universities. Other training sessions include workshops on analyzing and presenting scientific data and applying to graduate school. Students also participate in a scientific outreach program for the local community. More information about the program is available by visiting https://precs.igb.illinois.edu/, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Nathan Schroeder at nes@illinois.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Carlson at ccarlson@parkland.edu). 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.