This study expands on our prior work of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) SITE program to provide data on participant preparation for success in graduate school and their perceptions of the program. In the first two studies from our initial cohort, we summarized that we effectively provided an independent research experience, increased participants perception of preparedness for success in the graduate application process and graduate school and increased their ability to communicate about Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB)1. In the follow up study we showed that by the end of the program students believed they were better prepared for success in graduate school, two students co-authored publications from their projects, and the majority were enrolled in a graduate program2. Here we share data across our first two cohorts which expands our outcomes associated with graduate school preparation and student perceptions of the REU SITE program. We used our site-licensed online survey tool Qualtrics to administer the surveys for data collection. We used the same pre- and post-survey data to assess changes for both ten student cohorts over the 10-week period. The data were analyzed using a paired t-test from GraphPad Prism 9.3.0 software. This study confirmed the findings from the first two studies while highlighting new information. The new analysis conducted across both cohorts showed participation in the program influenced student interest in applying to graduate school p< 0.05. Additionally, the data show that participants felt more prepared to conduct independent research after participating p<0.05. Of the twenty participants the twelve students who have graduated or will be graduating before summer 2023 are enrolled in a graduate program or have applied for admission. Six of those yet to graduate reported they plan to pursue a graduate degree after completing their BS degree. Additionally, students felt the program prepared them to find and read research articles p<0.01 and participate at a conference p<0.05, skills that will be beneficial for success in a graduate program. Ninety-five percent of the participants indicated the REU SITE met or exceeded their expectations and would recommend the program to others. Similarly, 95% were satisfied with the mentorship of their graduate ambassador and 100% indicated they were satisfied with the mentorship of their faculty. Additionally, we were excited to find that after an adjustment to our program after the first cohort, the second cohort felt prepared to contribute to the field of BMMB p<0.05. This was an objective of the program that was not achieved with the first cohort. Lastly, 85% of participants were from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds and 70% were female. Thus, the enrollment of our participants in graduate programs continues to enhance diversity in engineering and the field of BMMB. Going forward we will continue to track the progress of participants and the careers they choose after completion of their graduate degrees. We will also continue to use student feedback to improve the experience for participants.
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Physics GRE Requirements Create Uneven Playing Field for Graduate Applicants
The use of the Physics GRE in graduate admissions has gained considerable attention in recent years. While studies have shown the problematic nature of the exam quantitatively, it is time that student experiences were also included in the discussion. In this qualitative study, we interviewed 69 current graduate physics and astronomy students about their process of deciding where to apply to graduate school. Physics GRE requirements played a substantial role in this decision, with 48 students mentioning the test as part of their process to narrow programs down to a personalized short-list. Participants discussed potential barriers (e.g., financial and travel) that affected some students, but not others, which created an unequal playing field for grad school applicants. Secondly, while the participants noticed a shift towards more departments having "optional'' GRE language, female student participants still felt the need to take and submit their Physics GRE scores, while male student participants truly saw "optional'' as optional. These results suggest that graduate programs requiring the Physics GRE are doing more than asking prospective graduate students to simply take a physics test, and that the use of 'optional' requirement language may be inadvertently disadvantaging the very students that they are trying to recruit.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1633275
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10310048
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Physics Education Research Conference 2020
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs have been credited for attracting and retaining students in science and engineering who otherwise may not have considered disciplines in science and engineering as their career choices. In addition to core research activities, REU programs generally provide multiple enrichment and professional development activities for participants. While the nature and the number of professional development activities vary from one REU program to another, the most common activities include ethics and safety training, research and industry seminars, GRE workshops, writing workshops, graduate school application preparation, and industry visits. Furthermore, some of these professional development activities are also conducted in large group settings with students from other research programs beyond the REU cohort. The rationale behind combining REU students with other researchers is to create a community of learners and provide them with an opportunity to build/extend their professional network. Although professional development activities are an integral part of the REU sites, there is often very limited coverage of such activities in the existing literature on REU projects. This paper presents the impact of professional development activities on the experience of REU participants in a manufacturing REU site at a major research university in the southwestern United States. For this study, data was collected from participants by an external evaluator by using both qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper presents and describes the cumulative data from three REU cohorts. The analysis and results of the data are disaggregated by the student academic level (sophomore, junior, senior), gender, ethnicity, the type of their home institutions (research or teaching institution), and desired career paths in the future (graduate school or industry). The paper also provides a detailed discussion and implications of these findings.more » « less
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Underrepresented minorities (URM’s) and women comprise 30% and 50% of the U.S. population, respectively. In the Biomedical Engineering (BME) discipline they compose 8% and 37% respectively1. Thus, the enrollment of these groups is still below their representation in society. The BUCKEYE Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) SITE program aims to help address this disparity by 1.) increasing the number of traditionally underrepresented students pursing a graduate degree and preparing them for success in the application process and graduate school, 2.) providing hands-on scientific research experience in Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB), 3.) and developing the participants ability to comprehend, contribute, and communicate advances in BMMB. To do this our students participated in a 10-week research immersion where they participated in research, professional development and social activities. Our cohort consisted of ten participants all of whom were from a traditionally underrepresented background and 70% were female. To assess the outcomes from the program we administered survey’s using our site-licensed online survey tool Qualtrics. We used a combination of surveys including pre-and post-surveys to assess program outcomes. Surveys were administered to faculty mentors and participants. The data were analyzed with GraphPad Prism 8.2.1 software using a paired t-test or average. The data indicate that by the end of the program students were conducting independent research p<0.01. Overwhelmingly students believed the program prepared them for success in the application process and graduate school, p<0.04 and p<0.02, respectively. Further, by the end of the program students believed they were better able to communicate about the field of BMMB, p<0.04. Seventy-one percent of faculty mentors who responded to the survey indicated their student produced data that could be included in a future publication. Out of the ten participants four are now enrolled in a graduate program, three are currently applying to one of our graduate programs involved in our REU, and another three are not yet ready to graduate. Therefore, the first four students in our cohort to receive their BS degrees are now enrolled in a graduate program contributing to an increase in representation of underrepresented students. We will continue to track whether the remaining students ultimately apply to or enroll in our or another graduate program and the impact of the REU SITE on our graduate program diversity. Moving forward we will modify our approaches to help participants connect the outcomes of their research to their ability to contribute to the field of BMMB, so they are able to identify with the contributions the faculty mentors have noticed.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2020.pr.Owens
