STEM Coordinator Massasoit Community College, United States
Background/Question/Methods
Published literature continues to illustrate the advantages of undergraduate research experiences and its various benefits to students. Furthermore, such first and second-year experiences are thought to promote “soft skills,” including adaptability, self-motivation, and problem-solving; skills necessary for success in rigorous professional and academic settings. However, little evaluative information exists to guide the design and implementation of such programs. Undergraduates are rarely offered research opportunities early in their academic careers that go beyond assistant or technician status, leaving them limited to tasks and short-term research projects that do little to challenge intellectual or professional capabilities. In contrast, the model at Massasoit Community College achieves the dual benefit of increasing students’ functional abilities, while also providing insight into the core concepts of ecology and environmental science, regardless of students’ ultimate choice of degree or career. The present work provides a continuation of data supporting the benefits of undergraduate research experiences in ecology, from the perspective of an environmental science and biology bachelors graduate and program alumnus. While it promotes independent work, this model differs from most undergraduate research experiences in that it centers on a permanent research project that is not dependent upon any one faculty member at the college.
Results/Conclusions
Massasoit Community College in Brockton, MA, demonstrates these key developmental opportunities through a research program investigating the changes of wild pollinator communities in urban and suburban ecosystems over time. With a group of 3 to 5 full- and part-time faculty mentors, a variety of mentoring styles and a shared workload to fit individual schedules is achieved. The consistent participation of between 15 and 20 student researchers year-round allows the completion of sufficient fieldwork to allow meaningful scientific progress, while also targeting improvement in scientific literacy, critical thinking, and other key soft skills. Specific training on database management, public speaking, and scientific writing is embedded into the process of producing quality work among others. Consistency is maintained by a permanent administrative team member who serves as the student's supervisor and helps maintain constancy of the project and appropriately high standards. Each member of the paid student research group has an individual performance review each semester and is aware of the possibility of discipline or dismissal for poor performance. Indicators of success include robust increases in students’ skills and abilities and a nearly 100% retention and transfer rate in the STEM field.
