5/22/2016  |   15:30 - 15:45   |  304-305

WORLDLY SCIENCE: DEVELOPING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND MENTORING ACTIVITIES TO TRAIN DIVERSE GLOBAL SCIENTISTS – A NSF-IRES CASE STUDY Undergraduate research experiences form a pivotal foundation on which we develop our identities as professional scientists. Our journeys as undergraduate researchers frame our first impressions for how science works. In the 21st century, the need to confront global freshwater issues (i.e. climate change, invasive species, biodiversity loss, nutrient cycling, etc...) presents unique opportunities to train freshwater scientists to incorporate global perspectives into their identities as future STEM professionals. Limited scales and funding of undergraduate research too often makes it easy to remain insular. Some undergraduates in labs with the capacity to host international scientists receive a little global flavor of the nature of research. Other lucky students might connect on-line or at meetings. However, especially for students at predominately undergraduate institutions, little substitute exists for hands-on research and collaboration with Host Scientists. For this special session, I will review the process, highlights, challenges and long-term impacts of one 5-year grant experience funded by the National Science Foundation’s International Research Experiences for Students program. Subsequent discussion will help identify recommendations for how our community can develop worldly future freshwater scientists.

Romi Burks (Primary Presenter/Author), Department of Biology, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, USA, burksr@southwestern.edu;


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5/22/2016  |   15:45 - 16:00   |  304-305

CAL POLY’S SWANTON PACIFIC RANCH: A MODEL FOR INFORMED WATERSHED STEWARDSHIP ON CALIFORNIA’S CENTRAL COAST Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR), a 3,200-acre living laboratory, provides students with exceptional education and research opportunities that enhance understanding of how proper land management influences the ecological prosperity of California’s waterways. Located within the Scotts Creek watershed, an area of high importance for steelhead restoration and the recovery of coho salmon in the Central California Coast Evolutionary Significant Unit, SPR encourages students to engage in hands-on, field-based demonstrations, in innovative land management approaches (uneven-aged timber management, holistic livestock management, and organic crop production) which promote water quality and overall ecosystem services. For 30 years, SPR has hosted thousands of students and professionals engaged in field-based learning activities and projects that promote informed, sustainable resource and watershed management. SPR encourages the participation of students who are underrepresented in STEM fields and those from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. SPR is devoted to maintaining Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing mission and will continue to provide students from Cal Poly and other institutions with opportunities to learn about the conservation of California’s freshwater resources through informed watershed stewardship.

Nicholas Macias (Primary Presenter/Author), University of California, Santa Cruz, niamacia@ucsc.edu;


brian dietterick ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Cal Poly's Swanton Pacific Ranch, bdietter@calpoly.edu;


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5/22/2016  |   16:00 - 16:15   |  304-305

INCORPORATING UNDERGRADUATES INTO SMALL-SCALE URBAN STREAM RESTORATION RESEARCH: A TALE OF TWO UNIVERSITIES An interdisciplinary team of geomorphologists, engineers, and aquatic ecologists began a collaborative stream restoration research project in 2012 to examine the biological and physical attributes of reach-scale step-pool formation. An experimental restoration reach on Wildcat Creek (Contra Costa County, California) was established to observe the self-organization process of step pools compared to a reference reach over time. Biological (benthic macroinvertebrate) and physical (cross-sectional and longitudinal profiles, facies mapping and ground-based LiDAR) assessments were conducted pre- (August 2012) and post-restoration (Dec 2012, May 2013, March 2014, March 2015). Eight undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and five undergraduate students at Humboldt State University (HSU) participated in field work and laboratory processing of biological samples. A UCB student used the first year’s data as her Environmental Sciences senior thesis project. UCB and HSU faculty mentored students and provided the overall context of the project. Undergraduates performed analyses to compare among years and sampling sites. This project demonstrates how freshwater research can involve researchers and undergraduates from multiple institutions and backgrounds in a collaborative research framework.

Alison O'Dowd (Primary Presenter/Author), Humboldt State University, ap73@humboldt.edu;


Patina Mendez ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of California, Berkeley, patina.mendez@berkeley.edu;


Anne Chin ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Colorado Denver, anne.chin@ucdenver.edu;


Roger Levanthal ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), FarWest Engineering, roger.leventhal@gmail.com ;


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5/22/2016  |   16:15 - 16:30   |  304-305

SHORT, ORIGINAL RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATE CO-RESEARCHERS Nottingham Trent University (NTU) undergraduates can apply to conduct a funded 'Scholarship Project for Undergraduate Researchers' (SPUR). These 10-week positions involve conducting an original research project in collaboration with an academic supervisor. I supervised a SPUR student and a second department-funded student on a project comparing two methods for sampling invertebrates from the hyporheic sediments of river ecosystems. To start the project, we visited colleagues in France to share expertise of the two sampling methods. During the project, the students gained an advanced, technical skill set, improved their transferable skills such as problem-solving skills, and developed their identities as researchers. Having two students working together improved their confidence and development as autonomous scientists. My SPUR colleague independently presented our research, being one of few undergraduates to contribute to our School research conference; I also presented the study at an international event. His career aims changed during the project, from industry to academia; he is currently seeking a doctoral position. Short, original research projects can be transformative experiences that alter undergraduates’ career trajectories and promote their integration into wider academic communities.

Rachel McNeish (Primary Presenter/Author), California State University Bakersfield, rachel.e.mcneish@gmail.com;


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5/22/2016  |   16:30 - 16:45   |  304-305

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND WRITING: USING CAPSTONE CURRICULUM ACROSS DISCIPLINES TO INCREASE STUDENT CONFIDENCE, PERFORMANCE AND LEARNING OUTCOMES Undergraduate research experiences can be the highlight of a college career, or frustrating if too unstructured. Efforts to reduce stress, such as telling students “Let’s just collect all of the data and write it later,” can increase stress because students don’t feel that they have control of the pace of the project or can anticipate how the project will unfold. The research question is at the center of predictions, experimental design, and interpretation, but often students do not have a clear understanding of how the research question interacts with these elements and shapes manuscript writing. Moreover, students are required to assimilate scientific literature very quickly. For instructors, supporting diverse independent projects across disciplines in the classroom can be challenging because theory, methods, and pacing of projects are different. We discuss curriculum elements from the Environmental Sciences senior thesis seminar at the University of California, Berkeley that serve to give students scientific understanding, agency, confidence, and determination to complete year-long senior thesis projects. This approach can be used or modified for any undergraduate research experience.

Patina Mendez (Primary Presenter/Author), University of California, Berkeley, patina.mendez@berkeley.edu;


Kurt Spreyer ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of California, Berkeley, kspreyer@berkeley.edu;


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5/22/2016  |   16:45 - 17:00   |  304-305

PREPARING FUTURE FRESHWATER SCIENTISTS THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SCIENTIFIC TEACHING There is a growing need to develop teaching strategies that cultivate student engagement in the scientific process. Doing so will bring critical thinking, creativity, and discovery into the classroom to excite the next generation of future freshwater scientists across all academic institutions. We recently developed a scientific teaching program designed to prepare future STEM faculty to actively engage a diversity of undergraduate students in the process of scientific discovery in freshwater science. During the semester-long program, graduate teaching assistants integrated a research model into a teaching approach to develop objectives, assessments, and learning activities on scientific concepts underpinning their own research in freshwater science. The program significantly increased the ability for graduate students to engage undergraduate students in inquiry-based learning. The program improved problem solving and quantitative reasoning skills by giving undergraduate students the opportunity to think and behave like scientists in the classroom. This program provides a cross-institutional model to prepare a diversity of future freshwater scientists across all academic institutions.

Allison Rober (Primary Presenter/Author), Ball State University, arrober@bsu.edu;


Kevin Wyatt ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ball State University, khwyatt@bsu.edu;


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