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“Making’ - a hands-on practice of creating technology-based artifacts typically involves integrating electronics, programming, or 3D printing. This paper describes the targeted infusion of “making” into undergraduate STEM education as an approach to encourage innovation while building capacity in the 21st-century technical STEM skills of engineering and design. “Making’ has the potential to impact self-efficacy and building capacity in technical STEM skills among underrepresented and underserved science majors. To investigate how “making” experiences are received by Underrepresented Minority (URM) students at an Historically Black College or University (HBCU), we applied and received funding through the National Science Foundation HBCU-UP Targeted Infusion Project (TIP) mechanism. The infusion included “making” instructional practices and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) into two undergraduate biology courses. Assessment data indicates the targeted - infusion courses were well-received by these communities with females exceling in iteration and communication of engineered designs. 

Many undergraduate students understand that model organisms are important for understanding how biology works, but may not make the connection that animal models such as Drosophila melanogaster can be used to understand such human conditions as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). To address this knowledge gap, we introduced an inquiry-based laboratory module in which students perform hands-on Ethanol Behavior Mobility Assays (EMBAs) using flies with either different Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) alleles or different developmental exposure to ethanol. The lab module contains a bioinformatic component for students to explore the evolutionary conservation of the ADH gene between flies and humans. The implementation of this exercise in a sophomore/junior-level Genetics course led to a high level of student satisfaction and a more integrated view of the role of model organisms in studying AUD and FAS. Funding acknowledgements: ABLE Roberta Williams Laboratory Teaching Initiative Grant and NSF HBCU-UP TIP Grant # 1912188. 

Many undergraduate students understand that model organisms are important for understanding how biology works, but may not make the connection that animal models such as Drosophila melanogaster can be used to understand such human conditions as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). To address this knowledge gap, we introduced an inquiry-based laboratory module in which students perform hands-on Ethanol Behavior Mobility Assays (EMBAs) using flies with either different Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) alleles or different developmental exposure to ethanol. The lab module contains a bioinformatic component for students to explore the evolutionary conservation of the ADH gene between flies and humans. The implementation of this exercise in a sophomore/junior-level Genetics course led to a high level of student satisfaction and a more integrated view of the role of model organisms in studying AUD and FAS. Funding acknowledgements: ABLE Roberta Williams Laboratory Teaching Initiative Grant and NSF HBCU-UP TIP Grant # 1912188. 

ABSTRACT The initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of course delivery from largely in-person to exclusively remote, thus disrupting the well-established pedagogy of the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP; https://www.thegep.org ). However, our web-based research adapted well to the remote learning environment. As usual, students who engaged in the GEP’s Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) received digital projects based on genetic information within assembled Drosophila genomes. Adaptations for remote implementation included moving new member faculty training and peer Teaching Assistant office hours from in-person to online. Surprisingly, our faculty membership significantly increased and, hence, the number of supported students. Furthermore, despite the mostly virtual instruction of the 2020–2021 academic year, there was no significant decline in student learning nor attitudes. Based on successfully expanding the GEP CURE within a virtual learning environment, we provide four strategic lessons we infer toward democratizing science education. First, it appears that increasing access to scientific research and professional development opportunities by supporting virtual, cost-free attendance at national conferences attracts more faculty members to educational initiatives. Second, we observed that transitioning new member training to an online platform removed geographical barriers, reducing time and travel demands, and increased access for diverse faculty to join. Third, developing a Virtual Teaching Assistant program increased the availability of peer support, thereby improving the opportunities for student success. Finally, increasing access to web-based technology is critical for providing equitable opportunities for marginalized students to fully participate in research courses. Online CUREs have great potential for democratizing science education.