University of Florida’s Center for Undergraduate Research teaches students about scholarship, studies and professionalism

Phong Truong’s research has already brought him from Florida to Maryland to Uganda and now Switzerland, where he is currently enrolled in a Master’s program at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.

But it was early on, as an undergrad at the University of Florida (UF) that the young scholar’s interest in research was first sparked. Staff at UF’s Center for Undergraduate Research (CUR) encouraged Truong, then majoring in microbiology and cell science, to apply for a stipend for emerging scholars, which supported his work at a lab studying Alzheimer’s disease. Then he received an undergraduate research scholarship; then another UF award, to spend a summer in a lab in Uganda.

The Center showed how many opportunities there are for undergraduates, says Truong. His time in the Alzheimer’s lab gave him the opportunity to work alongside leading scientists and doctoral students, and taught him about rigor, peer review and reproducibility.

“It opened my mind,” he says. “The research skills, in terms of thinking clearly and writing well, have been tremendously helpful. In my studies and coursework, in class discussion, in everyday life—I get to apply those skills and continue to practice and challenge myself.”

How to fail, succeed—and thrive

For several decades, studies have shown that taking part in research as an undergrad correlates with positive outcomes for students in terms of both graduate school placement and employment. Administrators at UF have honed a particularly successful program, built on encouraging students’ autonomy and independence.

The Center offers an array of scholarships, travel awards and funding grants. It connects students with their peers and with faculty across humanities, social science and the natural and applied sciences—opportunities that are open both to students pursuing degrees in person and to those studying online. When participating in research projects, students can decide not to take credits, so that they can pursue their interests without accruing college fees, a policy that broadens the program’s appeal.

Anne Donnelly, who created CUR in 2010, said it was founded in part to capitalize on the University’s rising profile as a research institution. Students are not handed projects, but encouraged to pursue areas that interest them. “This is kind of my philosophy. I’m not here to match them,” she says. “Every faculty [member] on campus is doing research… We give the students the skills to identify who they might want to work with and teach them how to professionally make the initial contact.”

The program helps some students crystalize their wish to embark on a research career; it helps others figure out that their path lies in a different direction. All students who engage in the Center’s activities emerge with a richer set of skills that will help them with when graduate, Donnelly notes.

“They learn problem solving. They learn how to look at data and analyze it. They learn how to fail.  They learn how to persevere. So even if they’re going to be a doctor or a lawyer or an investment banker or a high school teacher— there are no skills there that won’t help them,” she explains.

Student-led

A key aspect of how the Center instills these skills is by giving responsibility to students. It has a highly active and self-directed advisory Board of Students, CURBS. And alongside regular activities, students help organize four landmark events during the year, which attract hundreds of participants: a fall undergraduate research expo; undergrad research symposia in spring and fall; and a statewide undergrad research leadership summit.

Donnelly, who manages the center with the support of two full-time staff and eight student assistants, says that student involvement is key. Her small team is supported by a band of student helpers, who donate about 2000 hours a year to the organization, connecting with other students and spreading the word about the group. “Students would rather hear from other students,” she says.

This also applies to broader decision making. “You not only have to follow students, but you have to give them real work and trust them and incorporate them into the management decisions of the organization,” Donnelly says.

Pravalika Manda, a senior majoring in microbiology and cell science, is Director of Special Projects for CURBS. Her communication skills and professionalism have greatly improved as a result of her role, she says—“because you’re talking with faculty, you’re talking with students on a daily basis.” Putting on events has compelled her to become better organized and to manage her time.  “It takes a lot to put on those events but—we’re also students, and we’re also doing research and we also have other things going on. So just trying to find the balance of how do I do all this in a timely manner, without overwhelming myself, but also making sure the event goes smoothly.”

Brendan Wernisch, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, is the current Executive Director of the student board. Wernisch, a first-generation student from a single-parent family, began research by doing what he describes as “silly little experiments” in high school. From an early age, he knew he wanted to do research, and CURBS gave shape to that wish. “I felt very inspired that people who were not much older than I was, were so mature and professional,” he says. “It was really the people on the leadership team that drew me to further involvement.”

Preparation for post-grad life

Presenting ideas to dozens, sometimes hundreds of people, organizing events, speaking with faculty and doing peer-to-peer outreach allows students to gain valuable experience. It enables them to polish their resumes and stand out in a crowded field. When Jamarcus Robertson, an alumnus of CURBS, was applying to grad school at the University of Chicago, he felt the interview panel was impressed by the depth of his leadership activities. Robertson had received scholarships as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Florida Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (FGLSAMP), the McNair Program for first-generation students, and as a first-generation student was selected for the Machen Florida Opportunity Scholar (MFOS). At CURBS he became Director of Special Projects, among other roles at the Center. At his interview, his work “really did set me apart,” he says.

The extensive peer-to-peer work informs Robertson’s approach to mentoring even now. At Chicago, he is pursuing a doctorate exploring what sea anemones can reveal about cell regeneration and wound healing. “Whenever I have a student that’s coming in, I usually help them in the lab in the context of how to do experiments and how to understand things. But,” he adds, “I also try my best to help them understand that there’s more out there that they can do to really take that next step.”

UF’s dedicated Center for Undergraduate Research has spurred hundreds of students to expand their horizons. For Phong Truong, it uncovered a world of problems and puzzles and the part he could play in solving them. During his three months in Uganda, where he helped to study biomarkers found in blood samples and cerebrospinal fluid to better understand how severe forms of malaria affect children, he deepened his understanding of health inequities. Truong now studies the intersections of science, politics and philosophy, and is doing a thesis on the politics of artificial intelligence ethics.
“It was very formative,” he says, “and showed me where individuals can contribute to resolving the difficult and wicked challenges in the world. There’s a lot of research that we still need to do to better understand these issues and tackle them.”

Keys for success

Obtain leadership buy-in.

The Center for Undergrad Research (CUR) is part of the office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs. Not only does this ensure institutional and financial support, it also means the program is not identified with a particular department or college. “It makes it easy for us to serve students in all disciplines, all colleges, all departments,” Donnelly says.

Choose an easy-to-access, high-profile space.

CUR is located in a building in the middle of campus, accessible to students 24/7. “This makes all the difference in terms of students finding you,” she says.

Make it inclusive.

Some student research centers start out as honors programs, but CUR serves all students.

Be appropriately staffed.

In addition to its army of volunteers, CUR has three full-time staff and eight part-time student assistants. Having two or three people working full-time on the Center helped get it up and running, Donnelly notes. The fact that Donnelly holds a PhD facilitated the process by making conversations with faculty easier.

Involve students right away.

This is key—not only involving the young people but also trusting them, she stresses. At CUR, students are “totally intertwined with management decisions.”

Connect with colleagues.

Donnelly recommends having a more experienced colleague “on speed dial” to help with tricky questions. The National Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is a good source of advice and support.

Written by: The University of Florida; used with permission. Find the original article here

The sound. The rhythm, The movement.

That’s what draws Mia Kennedy ‘24 musical theater, to tap and ignites her passion. When she puts on tap shoes, they transport her to a different place, one that inspires joy and motivates her to keep learning and to keep tapping.

Her love of tap motivated her to delve deep into the history of the dance style, which dates back to the early 19th century.

Kennedy, a Summer Scholar, spent the summer researching tap, absorbing its history and creating a textbook of sorts that lays out where it came from and what it looks like now. Kennedy has been working with Laura Lloyd, a professor of dance and musical theater, to bring her project to fruition.

“It’s like an encyclopedia of tap,” said Kennedy.

The resource will be used to help students who take tap classes. Kennedy’s guide lays out tap steps, important names associated with the style, and takes a deep dive into how tap has influenced Broadway through the years. Tap has been influenced by many styles over the decades. Two prominent schools of tap are Broadway and rhythm. Kennedy and Lloyd are focused on Broadway.

“I have taught for a long time,” Lloyd said. “A Broadway tap textbook doesn’t exist. You just don’t see one focused on Broadway-style tap.”

Broadway tap is the type of show dancing seen in live stage musicals and in Hollywood films. It typically incorporates more arm movements, artistic body movements, and movements across the dance floor than rhythm tap dancing. In the 1980s, tap saw a resurgence in popularity when Broadway shows, such as “42nd Street” and “The Tap Dance Kid,” introduced new audiences to the dance style.

Lloyd and Kennedy had worked on an independent study focused on Broadway tap, and decided the subject was worth expanding into Summer Scholars.

The Summer Scholars program is a program unique to Christopher Newport where students and faculty work side by side on research projects. It is an eight-week, in-residence program that brings students and faculty together to work collaboratively to answer a research question. Scholars receive a housing allowance and stipend.

Kennedy, who knew she wanted to do research coming into college, took note of the void and decided to fill it by focusing on her Summer Scholars project on tap dancing. “I learned so much,” she said. “I have always loved doing research.”

To bring her study of tap to life, Kennedy and Lloyd traveled to New York City to see Broadway shows featuring tap and also took a Broadway tap class. It was a fantastic way to see the artform on some of the world’s most famous stages.

“It was fun going to see those shows,” Kennedy said. “It was great to notice that all the steps that we had talked about were used. So, we were like, ‘yes, we’re on the right path.’ I think we just missed one step. So we brought that back and added that into our list of steps.”

The resource that Kennedy and Lloyd are creating includes a written component and video piece in which Kennedy performs each step in a way in which they are indexed for reference. Students will be able to consult the guide for detailed direction on how to properly perform each tap step and learn its accompanying history. For tap students, the guide is likely to be most helpful as they work to advance the skills.

“There really isn’t an opportunity to go deeply into the history of tap, at least with any class offered here,” Kennedy said. “And so, being able to delve into a style that I really like is, I think, a unique opportunity that’s kind of tailored specifically to what is special to me.”

Being able to work one-on-one with Lloyd to become well-versed in something she loves, and to create something that will impart knowledge and expertise to other tap lovers, has been a dynamic and rewarding experience for Kennedy.

“Dance is my favorite part of musical theater, so having a wonderful relationship with one of my dance professors has been really great,” Kennedy said. “I think it’s setting me up for success here, and for potential connections in the future.”

Lloyd agreed, saying she has also learned a lot through the experience.

“It’s been a lovely relationship that isn’t just teacher to student, but one in which she’s teaching me as well,” Lloyd said. “It also has meant a lot to me to have a student who really wants to look at research, especially in musical theater.

“Most of it is performance based and so we go into class and it’s like, ‘learn the steps, let’s put them together into the dance and let’s perform it’” Lloyd said. “It’s been pretty special to dig a little deeper, to have somebody really interested in the history of the steps and why they are what they are, and then to be able to, you know, go experience tap in New York City one-on-one and really talk about it. It made it a little more special, a little more personal.”

Written by: Kelli Caplan for Christopher Newport University; used with permission. Find the original article here

Disabled Undergraduate Sustainability Researcher Helps Develop Microplastic Particle Characterization Library

Danielle Hoelle, a Florida International University senior studying Sustainability and the Environment, is living with rare disease, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and an autoimmune-neuromuscular disability, but she wanted hands-on experience in a research laboratory. While she had spent the Spring semester lobbying for Florida to adopt a single-use plastics regulation bill (HB 1145) and management bill (SB 1580), she found herself continually intrigued with the public health risk that microplastics pose on populations and the global environment.

Hoelle became one of ten motivated students selected worldwide for a National Science Foundation research apprenticeship program at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Her focus was on microplastic particle separation and characterization. Hoelle said this was a dream come true in more than one way. In her sustainability endeavors, she could finally help make a dent in microplastic research that she felt was lacking, and she soon realized that despite her physical disability, she could finally be the scientist she always knew she was capable of being.

“I got motivated when I realized that I would have the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and help advance research on microplastics,” said Hoelle.

Hoelle worked with Dr. Madiyar using a method of particle separation within a non-uniform electric field known as Dielectrophoresis (DEP). Their research showed that DEP successfully captured, separated, and identified diverse types of microplastics and that they could create a library of characterized microplastics for further research.

In 2021, microplastic particles were seen in the high orbit atmosphere from the Arctics to the Himalayan Mountain range. They arrived by oceanic uptake, evaporation, movement through rain and snow, making traveling across oceans and lands a breeze. Many of the origins of these particles are unknown. Microplastics are not only found in the air and water but are also now being found in the lungs and bloodstreams of humans and animals. Microplastic particles are the remains of plastic degradation and pose a sincere and long-term health risk to the planet and its inhabitants.

“Finally, we will not only be able to identify the types of microplastics out there, but also their chemical composition, and that will ultimately lead us to understand just how far these particles are traveling to reach these secluded destinations,” said Hoelle about her research.

As the 10-week program went forward, Hoelle developed new skill sets and irreplaceable relationships with her mentor, colleagues, staff, and faculty members that she did not expect would lead her to a new career so quickly. By the time she left the program and using the exceptional skills that she learned through her research; she became Assistant Director of the Honors Program at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and will now help recruit the world’s best aerospace and aviation students into research that fits their areas of interest.

 “This program took me to new heights that I would never have imagined I was capable of until I tested my strengths. I am more than grateful for this opportunity and will recommend it for years to come!”, said Hoelle.

Submitted by: Danielle Hoelle, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; used with permission.