Aptitude for Research Among Medical Students in India: Identifying the Challenges.

Introduction Understanding the reasons behind the undervaluation of research among undergraduate medical students in India is crucial for advancing medical knowledge. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the knowledge, interest, and barriers faced by 606 Indian medical students through an online questionnaire distributed via social media platforms. Aims To identify the knowledge of research and the challenges faced by medical students to pursue research in their undergraduate education. Methods and material This was a prospective observational study carried out over a period of one month in October 2022. Study approval was taken from the Genebandhu Independent Ethics Committee (Reference Number- ECG004/2022). The responses obtained from the questionnaire were recorded in Google Sheets and transferred to Microsoft Excel (Redmond, WA, USA). Results Among the participants, 46.53% were male and 53.47% were female, primarily from the first (11.39%) and second (9.90%) years of their medical education. Notably, the majority had undertaken United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) (54.95%), followed by National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) (NEET-PG) (34.65%) and Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) (7.92%). The study revealed that 78.22% considered research pivotal to their academic trajectory, with a mean age of 23.14 years (SD=2.82) and an average research knowledge score of 2.75 (SD=1.31). The type of postgraduate exam significantly influenced enthusiasm for research activities (p<0.001), with higher enthusiasm among those preparing for exams abroad. Nonetheless, the type of medical college did not significantly affect interest in research activities (p=0.4879). Conclusion Addressing the undervaluation of research among undergraduate medical students in India is imperative. The curriculum should integrate robust support mechanisms to nurture research skills, emphasizing its importance for future medical practitioners. This could involve seminars, courses, and interactive sessions aimed at fostering research acumen among students.

Interactive Notebooks Improve Students' Understanding of Developmental Neurobiology, Attitudes Toward Research, and Experimental Design Competency in a Lecture-Based Neuroscience Course.

Recent efforts to engage postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students in the rigors of discovery-driven inquiry have centered on the integration of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) within the biology curricula. While this method of laboratory education is demonstrated to improve students' content knowledge, motivations, affect, and persistence in STEM, CUREs may present as cost- and/or resource-prohibitive. Likewise, not all lecture courses have a concomitant laboratory requirement. With these caveats in mind, we developed the NeuroNotebook intervention, which provided students enrolled in a standalone Developmental Neurobiology course with an immersive, semester-long "dry-lab" experience incorporating many of the same elements as a CURE (e.g., collaboration, use of experimental design skills, troubleshooting, and science communication). Quantitative and qualitative assessment of this intervention revealed positive pre-/post-semester gains in students' content knowledge, attitudes toward the research process, and development of science process skills. Collectively, these data suggest that interventions such as the NeuroNotebook can be an effective alternative to a "wet-lab" experience.

An undergraduate research experience in CRISPR-Cas9 mediated eukaryotic genome editing to teach fundamental biochemistry techniques.

CRISPR-Cas9 technology is an established, powerful tool for genome editing through the ability to target specific DNA sequences of interest for introduction of desired genetic modifications. CRISPR-Cas9 is utilized for a variety of purposes, ranging from a research molecular biology tool to treatment for human diseases. Due to its prominence across a variety of applications, it is critical that undergraduates in the life sciences are educated on CRISPR-Cas9 technology. To this end, we created an intensive eight-week long course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) designed for students to understand CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and perform it in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Students enrolled in the CURE participate in 2, 3-h sessions a week and are engaged in the entire process of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, from preparation of genome editing reagents to characterization of mutant yeast strains. During the process, students master fundamental techniques in the life sciences, including sterile technique, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), primer design, sequencing requirements, and data analysis. The course is developed with flexibility in the schedule for repetition of techniques in the event of a failed experiment, providing an authentic research experience for the students. Additionally, we have developed the course to be easily modified for the editing of any yeast gene, offering the potential to expand the course in research-driven classroom or laboratory settings.

Graduate teaching assistants' beliefs and practices regarding mentoring in the context of an online introductory biology CURE: an exploratory study.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been identified as a promising approach to engage large numbers of students in discovery-based investigations in the biological sciences. As the prevalence of CUREs continues to increase nationwide, the role of graduate teaching assistants (TAs) in facilitating these courses has simultaneously grown. In addition to serving as instructors of CUREs, previous research suggests that educators-including TAs-must also adopt additional roles, including that of a mentor. However, few studies have explicitly examined CURE TAs' beliefs and practices regarding mentorship. To address this need, we conducted an exploratory, concurrent mixed methods study to better understand TAs' self-reported mentoring skills levels and their experiences acting as potential mentors in the context of an online introductory biology SEA-PHAGES CURE. Results indicate that TAs (N = 12) believed themselves most skilled in areas related to listening and communication, building rapport with students, and encouraging independence with respect to student research projects. Analysis of open-ended survey data further demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of TAs (n = 10) considered themselves to be mentors, citing a diversity of rationales reflective of both psychosocial and instrumental forms of mentoring support. Collectively, these outcomes contribute to a growing body of literature on the nature and level of involvement of TAs within CURE learning environments, particularly with respect to their posited role as mentors.

microPublication Biology: An introduction to Publishing and Teaching with a Small-Format, Peer-Reviewed Journal.

microPublication Biology (micropublication.org) is a non-profit, community-focused, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing small (single-figure) reports of data, methods and software related to a variety of model organisms. A workshop on microPublications at the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) conference in Summer 2023 focused on 1) publishing data-especially student research experiences, and data gathered through course-based research, and 2) using the microPublication platform and article template in teaching and learning. In this article, we further describe the microPublication platform and workflow and how PI's can use this venue to publish student work. We also provide examples of how the microPublication format can be adapted and adopted as tools for undergraduate teaching and learning.

"Important Enough to Show the World": Using Authentic Research Opportunities and Micropublications to Build Students' Science Identities.

Primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) often struggle to provide authentic research opportunities that culminate in peer-reviewed publications due to "recipe-driven" lab courses and the comprehensive body of work necessary for traditional scientific publication. However, the advent of short-form, single-figure "micropublications" has created novel opportunities for early-career scientists to make and publish authentic scientific contributions on a scale and in a timespan compatible with their training periods. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore the benefits accrued by eight undergraduate and master's students who participated in authentic, small-scale research projects and disseminated their work as coauthors of peer-reviewed micropublications at a PUI. In these interviews, students reported that through the process of conducting and publishing their research, they developed specific competencies: reading scientific literature, proposing experiments, and collecting/interpreting publication-worthy data. Further, they reported this process enabled them to identify as contributing members of the greater scientific community.

Zotero as a teaching tool for independent study courses, honors contracts, and undergraduate research mentoring.

Managing and evaluating the literature review process can be a time-consuming challenge when working one-on-one with students to teach scientific process skills, whether through an independent study, honors contract, or undergraduate research. In this article, I share my solution to address the pedagogical and organizational challenge posed by this type of teaching and mentoring: the citation management software Zotero used in conjunction with a template worksheet. Overall, this approach will save time, introduce students to a new multipurpose software tool, and lead to a set of reusable resources for future teaching.

Advancing Inclusive Mentoring: An Effective Mentor Training Program Across Comprehensive and R2 Public Universities.

Positive and inclusive mentoring of undergraduate research students, particularly of students from historically underrepresented groups is critical. The Advancing Inclusive Mentoring (AIM) program was developed to share inclusive mentoring practices with mentors at undergraduate-focused campuses and was assessed across five minority-serving universities. Self-ratings of mentorship skill as very- and exceptionally developed increased by 58% after AIM completion, and 93% of participants indicated they were likely to change their mentoring following AIM. While 93% of mentors rated the AIM program as beneficial, and 88% found most or all six modules pertinent to their mentoring, campus variations existed in perceived benefit (87%-100%) and pertinence (80-97%). These results suggest that AIM is effective training for mentors of undergraduate researchers, including those from historically underrepresented groups.

Inadequate mentoring in undergraduate research experiences: Exploring protective factors.

This study examines instances of negative mentoring among undergraduate researchers within STEM education, and specifically, the common yet subtle issue of inadequate mentoring characterized by a faculty mentor's failure to provide their mentee with adequate research, educational, career-related, or emotional support. Using data from the Mentor-Relate survey of 514 participants in the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, we identify prevalent patterns of inadequate mentoring and examine protective factors against it. Results indicate that inadequate research support is the least prevalent form, while inadequate educational and career guidance is more common, and inadequate emotional support is the most prevalent. Enhanced faculty mentoring skills emerge as a protective factor, with culturally responsive mentoring and gender concordance also playing significant protective roles. Less hierarchical mentoring structures, such as multiple faculty mentors, offer better emotional support. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive mentor training and culturally sensitive practices to mitigate inadequate mentoring in undergraduate research experiences. By promoting inclusive and supportive mentoring environments, institutions can maximize the transformative potential of undergraduate research experiences for all participants.

Students' Experiences with the Science and Engineering Practices in a Workshop-Based Undergraduate Research Experience.

This paper presents a phenomenographic investigation on students' experiences about research and poster presentations in a workshop-based undergraduate research experience with a focus on how the experience connects to the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) of the NRC A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the principles of CUREs. This provides insight into how these structured research experiences reflect particular SEPs and also elements of scientific practice that are not captured in the SEPs as they have been formulated previously. This work showcases the importance of future applications, failure, and creativity as additional science practices necessary for students to engage in authentic science. The SEPs and the additional elements of scientific practice are related to how students experience meaningful learning in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. Students highlighted the components of CUREs: importance of contributing relevant discoveries as a motivation for their research, the value of repetition and iteration in ensuring reliable and valid results, and the role of collaboration in seeing new perspectives and solving problems. As a result of presenting their results through a poster, students reported deeper understanding of their research topic, increased ability to articulate scientific concepts, and a better understanding of how to create a visually appealing poster. Students changed the vocabulary they used in their presentations to fit the knowledge level of their audience and highlighted their data in figures and explained other parts of their work in text. Moreover, they saw the poster as an outlet for their creativity.

Innovate and empower: the malate dehydrogenase course-based undergraduate research experiences and community of practice.

College science programs exhibit high rates of student attrition, especially among Students of Color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those with disabilities. Many of the reasons students choose to leave or feel pushed out of science can be mitigated through participation in faculty-mentored research. However, faculty resources are limited, and not every student has access to faculty mentoring due to systemic or structural barriers. By bringing authentic scientific research into the classroom context, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) expand the number of students who participate in research and provide benefits similar to faculty-mentored research. Instructors also benefit from teaching CUREs. Using a systematic review of 14 manuscripts concerning the Malate Dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) CUREs, we demonstrate that CUREs can be implemented flexibly, are authentic research experiences, generate new scientific discoveries, and improve student outcomes. Additionally, CURE communities offer substantial advantages to faculty wishing to implement CUREs.

Using DNA barcoding to identify high-priority taxa (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) seeks to document every species of living thing in the park. The ATBI is decades in progress, yet some taxa remain virtually untouched by taxonomists. Such "high priority" taxa include the hyper-diverse parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae. Despite the positive and multifaceted effects ichneumonids have on their environment, only a small percentage of those collected in the park have been identified as species, mostly to their complex morphology and overwhelming diversity. Recently, DNA barcoding has transformed biodiversity inventories, streamlining the process to be more rapid and efficient. To test the effectiveness of barcoding 20 + year-old specimens of Ichneumonidae and catalog new records for GSMNP, COI was amplified from 95 ichneumonid morphospecies collected from Andrew's Bald, NC. Species identifications were confirmed morphologically. Eighty-one ichneumonids generated sequence data, representing 16 subfamilies and 44 genera. The subfamily Oxytorinae is newly recorded from GSMNP, along with 10 newly recorded genera and 23 newly recorded species across Ichneumonidae. These results contribute significantly to the ATBI by adding new park records for a high-priority taxon and demonstrate the effectiveness of applying DNA barcoding to samples in long-term storage or those lacking immediate taxonomic expertise.

A tool for clarifying expectations in undergraduate research experiences.

Articulating clear and achievable expectations is fundamental to both education and organizational management. In this article, we provide a simple intervention for clarifying expectations-and establishing that these expectations have been understood-which proved beneficial both to community college interns and to their internship mentors in biotech-related undergraduate research experiences. Internship mentors were asked to utilize a simple Expectation Clarity Tool to outline the expectations, success metrics, baseline assessments, and training strategy and support that would be foundational to their intern's project. These included expectations around conceptual, technical, performance, and professional skills and behaviors. Concurrently, but independently, community college interns were asked to complete the same type of exercise as a way of identifying gaps in their knowledge and understanding of their mentor's expectations and their internship project. The mentor's completed Expectation Clarity Tool was then shared with their intern. As a result of completing this relatively simple intervention, the majority of mentors reported that it increased their confidence as a mentor, taught them a new mentoring skill, changed how they will mentor trainees moving forward, and positively impacted their relationship with their trainee. On the intern side, the majority of interns reported that engaging in this intervention, both as an independent exercise and in obtaining their mentor's completed Expectation Clarity Tool, increased their confidence as an intern and positively impacted the success of their internship.

Student experiences with an interprofessional hope-based healthy aging research project.

Interprofessional education (IPE) and research enhances learning, team-based communication, and cross-disciplinary collaborations, which can result in higher quality care for older adults. Despite the importance of IPE, it remains underutilized in higher education, demonstrating the need for extracurricular IPE opportunities. This study describes an interprofessional research project that brought together faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students from several health and social science disciplines to design and deliver a 15-week healthy aging program for older adults living in the urban Circumpolar North. Five faculty and one graduate research assistant led the project while eight students team-taught weekly, 1-hour sessions in the community focusing on healthy lifestyles within a framework of Persuasive Hope Theory. This paper describes the project, the student training procedures, and reports the results of the student satisfaction survey regarding their involvement with the research. Using a student self-assessment survey, students report gains in thinking like a scientist, increased confidence conducting research tasks, benefits from teamwork, and greater consideration of the needs of older adults in their field of study. Despite a small sample size, this study also suggests that students may be more likely to consider a career working with older adults if given hands-on experiences.

Using Unity for Scientific Visualization as a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience.

We have developed a series of course-based undergraduate research experiences for students integrated into course curriculum centered around the use of 3D visualization and virtual reality for science visualization. One project involves the creation and use of a volumetric renderer for hyperstack images, paired with a biology project in confocal microscopy. Students have worked to develop and test VR enabled tools for confocal microscopy visualization across headset based and CAVE based VR platforms. Two applications of the tool are presented: a rendering of Drosophila primordial germ cells coupled with automated detection and counting, and a database in development of 3D renderings of pollen grains. Another project involves the development and testing of point cloud renderers. Student work has focused on performance testing and enhancement across a range of 2D and 3D hardware, including native Quest apps. Through the process of developing these tools, students are introduced to scientific visualization concepts, while gaining practical experience with programming, software engineering, graphics, shader programming, and cross-platform design.

GENESIS-Guidance, Education, Networking, and Empowerment-based Smart Initiative for Students research in health care: A research modeling experience from a newly established medical college.

The importance of undergraduate medical research has been undermined in Indian medical education. Various studies show there is a drastic difference between the research output of Indian medical graduates in comparison to Western counterparts. With all the challenges identified, a student-oriented research committee was formed -Guidance, Education, Networking, and Empowerment-based Smart Initiative for Students (GENESIS) research in health care - A research modeling experience from a newly established medical college. The structure was established to serve the needs of students in the field of research. Problems were identified with the help of a survey, and steps were taken to address the issues through its 4-pronged strategy that includes conducting regular journal clubs. Journal clubs follow a peer-to-peer learning strategy and provide an open stage for discussion. Second, a research tracker which helps in increasing the sustainability of a research project. The third strategy includes a research live matchmaker which helps in bridging the gap between the students and the faculties. Lastly, involving alumni in the initiative will help students get guidance and acts as a gateway to opportunities at the national level. For maintaining the integrity and sustainability of the initiative, the involvement of students from all the batches is made sure. Inputs from faculties and administration are taken on a regular basis. Interinstitutional collaborations and regular assessment and evaluation are done to ensure positive outcomes. With its focus on peer-to-peer mentoring and attempt to eliminate the barriers for research enthusiasts, GENESIS has the potential to make a lasting impact in promoting research culture in colleges.

Student mental health during Summer 2022 research experiences for undergraduates (REUs): Mentorship, remote engagement, and COVID-19.

Objective: We examined how mentorship, remote participation, and COVID-19 challenges were associated with the mental health of college students participating in summer research programs. Participants: Participants were students participating in 78 National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) Sites during Summer 2022 (n = 516 students). Methods: We used multivariable generalized estimating equations that account for clustering by REU Site. Results: Students with more competent mentors had reduced depression severity. Students who spent ≥25% of their time doing remote research or ≥25% of their time in remote meetings and workshops had greater depression severity. Remote research was also associated with anxiety severity. Having a COVID-19 challenge that impacted students' research experience was associated with increases in depression and anxiety severity. Conclusions: Results suggest potential interventions: implement strategies to boost mentor competency and scaffold a support system into summer research programs to enhance student wellbeing. Additional research on remote engagement is needed.

DNA at the whim of the water: environmental DNA as a course-based undergraduate research experience.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) increase student access to high impact research experiences. CUREs engage students in the scientific process by learning how to pose scientific questions, develop hypotheses, and generate data to test them. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a growing field of research that is gaining accessibility through decreasing laboratory costs, which can make a foundation for multiple, engaging CUREs. This manuscript describes three case studies that used eDNA in an upper year undergraduate course. The first focusses on a systematic literature review of eDNA metadata reporting. The second describes the biomonitoring of brook trout in southern Ontario using eDNA. The third involves eDNA metabarcoding for freshwater fish detection in southern Ontario. Undergraduates were involved in the development and execution of experiments, scientific communication, the peer review process, and fundraising. Through this manuscript, we show the novel application of eDNA CUREs and provide a roadmap for other instructors interested in implementing similar projects. Interviews with seven students from these courses indicate the benefits experienced from taking these courses. We argue that the use of eDNA in CUREs should be expanded in undergraduate biology programs due to the benefit to students and the increasing accessibility of this technology.

Perception, practice, and barriers toward research among pediatric undergraduates: a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Scientific research activities are crucial for the development of clinician-scientists. However, few people pay attention to the current situation of medical research in pediatric medical students in China. This study aims to assess the perceptions, practices and barriers toward medical research of pediatric undergraduates. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among third-year, fourth-year and fifth-year pediatric students from Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China via an anonymous online questionnaire. The questionnaires were also received from fifth-year students majoring in other medicine programs [clinical medicine ("5 + 3") and clinical medicine (5-year)]. RESULTS: The response rate of pediatric undergraduates was 88.3% (68/77). The total sample of students enrolled in the study was 124, including 36 students majoring in clinical medicine ("5 + 3") and 20 students majoring in clinical medicine (5-year). Most students from pediatrics ("5 + 3") recognized that research was important. Practices in scientific research activities are not satisfactory. A total of 51.5%, 35.3% and 36.8% of the pediatric students participated in research training, research projects and scientific article writing, respectively. Only 4.4% of the pediatric students contributed to publishing a scientific article, and 14.7% had attended medical congresses. None of them had given a presentation at a congress. When compared with fifth-year students in the other medicine program, the frequency of practices toward research projects and training was lower in the pediatric fifth-year students. Lack of time, lack of guidance and lack of training were perceived as the main barriers to scientific work. Limited English was another obvious barrier for pediatric undergraduates. Pediatric undergraduates preferred to participate in clinical research (80.9%) rather than basic research. CONCLUSIONS: Although pediatric undergraduates recognized the importance of medical research, interest and practices in research still require improvement. Lack of time, lack of guidance, lack of training and limited English were the common barriers to scientific work. Therefore, research training and English improvement were recommended for pediatric undergraduates.