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1. More than a token photo: humanizing scientists enhances student engagement

   https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.0879  

   Costello, Robin A; Driessen, Emily P; Kjelvik, Melissa K; Schultheis, Elizabeth H; Youngblood, Rachel M; Zemenick, Ash T; Weber, Marjorie G; Ballen, Cissy J (January 2025, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)

   Despite broad consensus that highlighting counter-stereotypical scientist role models in educational materials promotes equity and success, the specific elements that make these materials effective remain untested. Are pictures of counter-stereotypical scientists enough to communicate to students that scientists come from a variety of backgrounds, or is additional information required? To parse the effects of including visual depictions and humanizing information about scientists featured in biology course materials, we distributed three randomized versions of assignments over several academic terms across 36 undergraduate institutions (n> 3700 students). We found that including humanizing information about scientists was key to increasing student engagement with the biology course materials. The positive effect of humanizing information was especially important for students who related to the scientists. Structural equation modelling revealed the extent to which students related to scientists mediated the positive effect of humanizing descriptions on student engagement. Furthermore, our results were strongest among students who shared one or more excluded identity(s) with the featured scientists. Our findings underscore the importance of providing students with examples of humanized and relatable scientists in classrooms, rather than simply adding a photo to increase representation. 

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2. A teaching and training framework to promote findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable data generation in agriculture

   https://doi.org/10.1093/database/baaf034  

   Marrano, Annarita; Cabugos, Leyla; Hafner, Alenka; Kapoor, Beant; McNamara, John; O’Donnell, Megan; Reiser, Leonore; Tello-Ruiz, Marcela_Karey; Zhang, Huiting; Staton, Margaret (April 2025, Database)

   Abstract Advances in agricultural genetic, genomic, and breeding (GGB) technologies generate increasingly large and complex datasets that need to be adequately managed and shared. While several agricultural biological databases maintain and curate GGB data, not all scientists are aware of them and how they can be used to access and share data. In addition, there is the need to increase scientists’ awareness that appropriate data archiving and curation increases data longevity and value and bolsters scientific discoveries’ reproducibility and transparency. The AgBioData Education working group aims to address these unmet needs and developed a modular curriculum for educators teaching the basics of biological databases and the findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) principles to undergraduate and graduate students (https://www.agbiodata.org/). The present paper provides an overview of the topics covered within the curriculum, called ‘AgBioData Curriculum for Ag FAIR Data,’ its audience and modalities, and how it will positively impact all the different stakeholders of the agricultural database ecosystem. We hope the modular curriculum presented here can help scientists and students understand and support database use in all aspects of improving our global food system. Database URL: https://zenodo.org/records/14278084 

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3. Building air quality sensors & inspiring citizen scientists

   Le, K.; Tingey, K.; Becnel, T.; Gailardon, P.E.; Butterfield, A.E.; Kelly, K.E. (June 2018, Chemical engineering education)

   Using low-cost electronic components and building blocks, we have developed an effective teaching module where students design and test light-scattering, air-quality sensors to introduce them to chemical and environmental engineering research. This module has been successful in engaging the public, developing citizen scientists, and bridging gaps in understanding. To date, we have visited over 30 middle school and high school classrooms and over 1,000 students. 

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4. Building Air Quality Sensors & Inspiring Citizen Scientists

   Le, K.; Tingey, K.; Becnel, T.; Giallardon, P.; Butterfield, T (April 2018, Chemical engineering education)

   Using low-cost electronic components and building blocks, we have developed an effective teaching module where students design and test light-scattering, air-quality sensors to introduce them to chemical and environmental engineering research. This module has been successful in engaging the public, developing citizen scientists, and bridging gaps in understanding. To date, we have visited over 30 middle school and high school classrooms and over 1,000 students. 

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5. Empowering future scientists: mentors employ various strategies to engage students in professional science disciplinary literacy practices

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-025-00124-0  

   Minocha, Trisha; Bhagatwala, Tanya; Mirzoyan, Gwendolyn; McDowell, Gary; Fankhauser, Sarah C (December 2025, Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research)

   Peer-review and publication are important parts of the scientific enterprise, and research has shown that engaging students in such scholarly practices helps build their sense of belonging and scientific identity. Yet, these disciplinary literacy skills and professional practices are often part of the hidden curriculum of science research, thus excluding students and others from fully understanding ways in which scientific knowledge is constructed, refined, and disseminated even though students are participating in such activities. Secondary students are increasingly involved in scientific research projects that include authentic disciplinary literacy components such as research proposals, posters, videos, and scientific research papers. More and more, students are also engaging in professional practice of publishing their scientific research papers through dedicated secondary science journals. How teachers and other mentors support the development of professional disciplinary literacies in students is critical to understand as part of supporting more student participation in research. To this end, we used a mixed-methods study of interviews and surveys to examine the experience and conceptions of the mentors (teachers and professional scientists) who guided pre-college students through the writing and publication of their scientific research projects. Analyzing our data from a lens of cognitive apprenticeship, we find that mentors encourage independence by primarily employing the method of “exploration”. We also find that mentors have divergent views on the value of publication within science, versus for student scientists specifically. Our findings suggest that mentors could work to explicitly reveal their own thinking within science writing to provide more sequenced support for student scientists. 

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