LB 8-76 - Opportunities and challenges of an undergraduate student-led field research experience

Thursday, August 18, 2022

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT

Located in: ESA Exhibit Hall

Presenting Author(s)

RA

Rhea Amatya

University of California, Riverside
Riverside, California, United States

Coauthor(s)

AR

Advyth Ramachandran

University of California, Riverside, United States
Caryn D. Iwanaga

University of California, Riverside, United States
JA

Jared D. Anderson-Huxley

University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA, United States
MS

Marko J. Spasojevic

Assistant Professor
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA, United States

Background/Question/Methods:

The underfunding of minority-serving institutions has led to cases where ecology students do not have access to upper-division field courses that provide formal, course-based undergraduate research experiences (“CURES”). The University of California, Riverside (UCR) chapter of the ESA-SEEDS program has worked to bridge this gap by creating undergraduate-led and organized research experiences for our large underrepresented minority undergraduate population to improve diversity in the ecological profession. Critically, field experiences are known to improve inclusion in ecology by fostering a sense of scientific ownership and belonging in science. Here, we report on one attempt to organize such an experience for students with little exposure to ecology. In early 2022, three student leaders trained seven undergraduate peers in research methods and provided a fully-funded field research opportunity. Participants collected data in an authentic research project with the aim of assessing long-term passive vegetation recovery on Santa Cruz Island, where destructive grazing by introduced ungulates has significantly altered vegetation composition. Students resampled vegetation transects to investigate whether the island’s vegetation has continued to passively revert to its native state 16 years after ungulate removal. We describe the achievements and challenges of this research project organized by SEEDS chapter leaders.

Results/Conclusions:

Organizing a field research experience as a student group, as opposed to a formal course, presented distinct challenges. First, there was limited funding available to cover costs associated with the trip. Second, student leaders found that a lack of institutional knowledge and support structure (e.g., lab prep) presented barriers to arranging trip logistics. Third, preparation for fieldwork required numerous training sessions (to substitute for course instruction) which were challenging for student leaders to teach due to a lack of pedagogical training, and to schedule in addition to each student’s required coursework. Guidance from faculty and graduate student mentors was essential to assist student leaders in planning the project. Fourth, without the incentive structure of a formal course, it was difficult to ensure participant preparation for fieldwork. Nevertheless, this project exposed participants to intensive fieldwork, plant identification, data analysis, and collaboration. Students completed vegetation sampling and participants reported a positive experience. We suggest that undergraduate-led experiences can complement field-based courses by introducing new students to ecology and by providing students with opportunities to develop leadership skills, but are not feasible substitutes for rigorous and formal instruction.