Program Book - 27th Fungal Genetics Conference

CONCURRENT SESSION ABSTRACTSFacilitating an Interdisciplinary Learning Community Amongst Undergraduate Research Fellows By Emphasizing Scientific Inquiry as the UnifyingThread. Virginia K. Hench 1,2 , Patricia J. Pukkila 1,2 . 1) Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599; 2) Office forUndergraduate Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599.The HHMI-Future Scientists and Clinicians (HHMI-FSC) fellowship is 1 of 3 components of the HHMI Science Learning Communities program at UNCChapel Hill. The HHMI-FSC program was designed to foster an intellectual community that empowers high-ability students from low-incomebackgrounds to engage in biomedical research for 2 summers. Each year, 12 new fellows are matched with mentors in labs spanning a range of biomedicalareas. They work fulltime in labs on their own research project and meet weekly as a group to engage in interactive programming that targets skills criticalfor success in science beyond the bench. One area of emphasis has been the process of inquiry itself. The goal is for students to transition from being apair of hands executing protocols to active learners invested in their own projects and able to speak with authority about why experiments are performedin particular ways and what conclusions can be drawn from data generated. This starts with coaching students to state the questions that they are tryingto answer and think through whether an experimental setup is consistent with what they say they are trying to find out. Assignments and feedback aredesigned to reinforce this principle. One of the most satisfying aspects of doing science is getting to follow one’s own instinctive curiosities and developthe methodologies needed to navigate new terrains. Undergraduates are usually still trying to define their own specific curiosities. Pushing students todescribe what they are curious and passionate about is one feasible strategy that can help students identify pursuits that fit their interests and talents.Another successful strategy has been to require returning second year fellows to share science learning experiences via 15-30 minute long talks for theirpeers. Some took the opportunity to become more immersed in their lab’s focus, while others branched into questions like what motivates scientists towork in foreign countries and what has genomic anthropology told us about human evolution. Project aims were developed through conversationsbetween the fellow and instructor. The one constraint was for fellows to organize their presentations around questions. Feedback indicated thatpresenters benefited from having to give presentations and others enjoyed learning about a broader array of topics.MOOCs: Education for Everyone. Relly Brandman. Course Operations, Coursera.46