KCC FIG – Undergraduate Research as a High Impact Practice

Minutes of the Meeting of Fri, 11/20/2020, 11:30am via Zoom

Present:  Grace Axler-DiPerte (BIO), Christina Colon (BIO), Mary Ortiz (BIO), Kristin Polizzotto (BIO)

Meeting began at 11:30am.

1. Mary welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming.
2. Mary shared plans for using BOP (Billion Oyster Project) data for a class computer research lab project in BIO91 (Biostatistics) in Spring 2021.  Discussion occurred on the logistics of doing this.
3. Christina mentioned BIO53 using new/previous iNaturalist seasonal/gender data with her class.
4. Grace mentioned possibly using iNaturalist Fungi in the neighborhood data in BIO50 (General Microbiology) Spring 2021.
5. Kristin shared Rem net publication (http://www.pathomap.org).  She also shared the following website: https://qubeshub.org/publications/1300/1
6. There was discussion about the Urban Microbiome Project, and possibly getting involved with it.  The website for info is: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com//ex/sustainablecitiescollective/invisible-city-life-urban-microbiome/1023706/#:~:text=A%20project%20called%20PathoMap%20is,microbiome%20at%20the%20city%20level.
7. Next Gen Data was also discussed.
8. Kristin shared a document she had shared at a previous STEM FIG meeting with websites containing data that can be used for research/analysis. We discussed GBIF and others.
9. Mary demoed www.socscistatistics.com . We discussed the necessity for statistics, and possibly a joint project between BIO91 and BIO53 in the Spring 2021 semester.
10. We discussed spring projects, setting up questions for students to investigate, and having students coming up with questions and developing hypotheses.  Christina shared that she has students in BIO53 begin this in week 1.  The students test hypotheses every week in BIO53.  Kristin shared that in BIO52 (Marine Biology), from week 1, students are required to submit a piece each week in a structured project that completes by the end of the semester.  Kristin and Christina will send us documents with the scaffolding for doing this.
11. Christina has the BIO53 students work with a peer reviewed journal article each week.  They start with identifying the title, authors, etc.  Then they underline methodology in the abstract, and so on.  She has them pick a species and use Google Scholar to pick and article about that species.  The students post summary key finds.  Each student has a different individual species name to study.  They pick a species, look it up, and bring an article.  In BIO14 they pick a fungus and by the end of the semester they have reviewed about 10 journal articles, and have either written a term paper, made a poster or narrated a PowerPoint presentation.
12. We discussed starting with the goals (ex. To learn to understand primary literature.), then framing the scaffolding (Find a living biologist from an underrepresented group, then find a primary literature article by them, then find four references, etc.)  Each semester scaffolding can be different with a different goal.  This is backwards design.  Kristin shared she had a project for lab in BIO52 over the summer because we were remote.
13. Christina mentioned ethogram lab and using 12-minute horse videos for students to analyze.
14. Mary mentioned that several aquariums provide links to view their fish tanks online.  Students can observe the fish and other organisms and study their behavior or investigate if the tank is a correct environment for the organisms in it.
15. Christina has her students design an exhibit for an animal species in a zoo.
16. Christina has PPTs with screen shots from iNaturalist.
17. Mary will send out the end of semester survey for this FIG.  Please complete and return to Mary.
18. Next meeting: Spring 2021.  We will continue discussion/bring new ideas.

Meeting adjourned at 12:20pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Mary Theresa Ortiz

KCC FIG – Undergraduate Research as a High Impact Practice

Minutes of the Meeting of Fri, 10/30/2020, 11:30am via Zoom

Present:   Grace Axler-DiPerte (BIO), Christina Colon (BIO), Jodie Delsol (PHY SCI), Mary Ortiz (BIO),Kristin Polizzotto (BIO), Farshad Tamari (BIO),

Meeting began at 11:30am.

1. Mary welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming.
2. We discussed SCORMS, by John Acosta.  Kristin has attended a meeting for SCORMS, and explained that there is one more meeting, and that the first two are available online.
3. Mary shared the Science Forward website she received from Shawna Brandle:

This is a website from CUNY MacCaulay that has several useful resources, such as open data bases for use for research, museum websites with higher ed activities and information, and other resources. 

• Mary also shared the www.nasa.gov website.  This site, too, contains resources for educators, such as images from space that can be analyzed, and data for use in academia.
• Mary asked for input on how to deal with students not submitting data.  She shared that of 25 active students in BIO2100, only 15 submitted the longitude and latitude for the location where they are recording vertebrate observations.  Christina suggested doing the project in increments each week.  Kristin suggested putting the announcements at the beginning of each week in Blackboard or to put it in a folder (we noted that course links do not show up in an email from Blackboard Announcements sent).  Next time around Mary may have pieces of the project due throughout the semester instead of the report being due at the end of the semester.
• Christina uses Team Leaders or Peer Mentors in her classes to encourage student participation.  Then they can add that they were a team leader or peer mentor on a project  to their resume.
• Grace discussed using Weblink in Blackboard.
• Jodie shared that in CUNY First you cannot make an attachment often.  She suggested emailing students via CUNY First by going into Faculty Center, then Notifications, then Student Lists, then email to a particular student.
• A discussion of Starfish also took place (it is in Quick Links on the KCC website) to try to contact students.
• Jodie shared Google Voice.
• Mary shared that she and Kristin received water quality data from Robert Ganz of the NYC EPA.  Items include parameters such as pH, NO₃, water temperature, etc.  Christina may be interested in using these data in BIO5300 – Ecology next semester for students to do class research.
• Kristin shared that there is also BOP (Billion Oyster Project) data available.
• Kristin mentioned the upcoming STEM FIG on Tue 11/10/2020 at 12pm via Zoom.
• Christina discussed an NSF Grant opportunity she is working on.  She would like to involve colleagues on this and will tell us more later.
• Next meeting: Fri, 11/20/2020, 11:30 via Zoom.  We will continue discussion/bring new ideas.

Meeting adjourned at 12:20pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Mary Theresa Ortiz

KCC FIG – Undergraduate Research as a High Impact Practice

Minutes of the Meeting of Fri, 10/9/2020, 11:30am via Zoom

Present:              Grace Axler-DiPerte (BIO), Christina Colon (BIO), Jodie Delsol (PHY SCI), Mary Ortiz (BIO),

Farshad Tamari (BIO), Midori Yamamura (ART)

Meeting began at 11:30am.

1. Mary welcomed everyone and provide a short history of how this FIG came about.
2. Mary thought we would share research experiences we are doing in the classroom remotely and began by sharing the research project the BIO2100 (Comparative Anatomy) students are doing.  For 7 years BIO2100 students have been identifying/cataloguing birds in the environs of the KCC.  Since this was not possible to do this semester, she modified the project.  Students were asked to select a location and identify/catalogue all the vertebrates they observe each week.  It gives the students a research experience and allows them to observe live vertebrates.  Mary will send everyone the documents she provides her students (directions for the project, ppt slide, etc.)
3. Christina shared “Fish Ethogram”.  This is an application where you can observe fish in an aquarium.  She has her students pick one organism and observe its’ behavior.  It is remote, and students can do observations.  She has them observe for 15 minutes each session.  They can form hypotheses (ex. organism will spend most of its time eating).  This can be a group project is each does the observations.  Discussion followed.
4. Grace shared “Cincinnati Zoo Animals” and “National Zoo – Panda Camp”.  Can use technology to do field work.
5. Christina shared “Phrenology” – a site especially good for plants (ex. oak trees, seeds, leaves).
6. Christina shared “iNaturalist” – an app and a website good with plants.  You can take a photo and the site will ID it for you.  You can set up an account and use it for Biodiversity.  The site has a map to indicate where samples are found.  She mentioned “50 Fungi in the Neighborhood”.
7. Mary mentioned “Star Chart” – an app for identifying what is in the sky (planets, starts, etc.).
8. Farshad shared that he has shifted his research to help students because his research is done in a lab and there is no access right now.  He shared how creating good OERs takes time and work.  Funding is also an issue.  Mary and Farshad shared how working on an OER with a committee is different from working on one when you teach single section course.
9. Midori shared the Art project she is doing with her students in Art History.  There will be a curated exhibition in Spring 2021 on Art and Homelessness.  Students are working on this interdisciplinary project.  They receive an image and discuss social background, green economy.  A former homeless person is scheduled to speak.  The students are more engaged in thinking and learn about neighborhoods.  The students are thinking differently.
10. Christina has microbiome/eukaryotic/prokaryotic/genomic data that she is currently analyzing using BLAST but is looking for better analysis sites/apps to use. She has data on horseshoe crab sediment, gut, and fecal samples.  This can be a resource for students to do data analysis.  Mary suggested dividing up the data and have a class work on a part of it.
11. Christina and Midori discussed having art students work on biology figures.
12. Next meeting: Fri, 10/30/2020, 11:30 via Zoom.  We will continue discussion/bring new ideas.

Meeting adjourned at 12:30pm. Minutes respectfully submitted by Mary Theresa Ortiz