REU: Undergraduate Research Experiences in Biology at James Madison University

詹姆斯麦迪逊大学（JMU）生物系的特点是将本科研究作为终极教学工具。这种关注体现在本科生进行研究项目的数量（每年超过100个）和拥有校外资助研究项目的现有教师数量（66%）上。在2001年夏天，一个试点的夏季研究项目在支持学年期间进行的研究的延续和实现部门的教育目标方面取得了巨大的成功。来自美国国家科学基金会（NSF）的资金将使JMU能够扩大这一试点项目，包括JMU边界以外的学生，并加强该系的研究教学法。新的NSF本科生研究体验项目将在JMU校园提供令人兴奋的为期10周的夏季研究体验。体验将从一个研究研讨会开始，旨在确保所有学生都拥有开展研究项目所需的基本工具。小型讲座和讨论会将穿插在全天的体验活动中，每天都会以总结会议结束，以加强基本概念。涵盖的主题将包括“跳出框框思考”、定量方法、数据解释、技术写作、生物伦理学、多媒体策略和基本实验室仪器介绍。剩下的9周将主要用于研究，包括研讨会、学生研究讲座和教师发起的案例研究场景。预计在夏季进行的研究项目将持续到学年，或者在JMU实验室进行，或者通过与学生所在机构的合作安排。还预期这些项目的成果将通过在区域/国家会议和同行评议期刊上的发言加以传播。招聘将集中在我们地理区域内的四个主要群体：1)不支持暑期研究项目的机构的非JMU学生，2)少数民族服务机构的学生，3)社区大学生，4)JMU学生。我们已经通过最近资助的“环境生物学本科生指导”（UMEB）项目与这些学院/大学建立了联系。招聘将通过邮寄、电子邮件、个人联系、个人访问和JMU多元文化活动办公室的资源来完成。申请将根据学生的学术成就/潜力、最低课程要求、继续暑期研究项目的潜力以及支持项目多样性的能力进行评估。除了学生之外，我们还将通过研究机会奖从这些机构中招募潜在的教师导师，这些教师将获得美国国家科学基金会的积极资助

The Biology Department at James Madison University (JMU) is characterized by its focus on undergraduate research as the ultimate teaching tool. This focus is manifested in the number of undergraduates conducting research projects (over 100 per year) and the number of established faculty having extramurally-funded research programs (66%). In the summer of 2001 a pilot summer research program was enormously successful in supporting the continuation of research conducted during the academic year and achieving the educational goals of the department. Funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will enable JMU to expand this pilot program to include students outside the boundaries of JMU and to enhance the research pedagogy within the department.The new NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program will provide an exciting 10-week summer research experience at the JMU campus. The experience will begin with a research workshop aimed at ensuring that all students have the fundamental tools necessary to conduct their research program. Mini-lectures and discussion sessions will be interspersed with experiential activities throughout the day and each day will end with a summary session where fundamental concepts will be reinforced. Topics covered will include "thinking outside the box", quantitative methods, data interpretation, technical writing, bioethics, multimedia strategies, and an introduction to basic laboratory instrumentation. The remaining 9 weeks of the experience will be largely devoted to research along with seminars, student research talks and faculty-originated case study scenarios. It is anticipated that the research project conducted in the summer will continue into the academic year, either in a JMU laboratory or through a collaborative arrangement with the student's home institution. It is also expected that the results of these projects will be disseminated via presentations in regional/national meetings and peer-reviewed journals.Recruitment will focus on four primary groups of constituents within our geographical region, 1) non-JMU students at institutions that do not support robust summer research programs, 2) students from minority-serving institutions, 3) community college students, and 4) JMU students. We have already built liaisons with these college/universities through our recently funded "Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology" (UMEB) program. Recruitment will be accomplished using mailings, e-mails, personal contacts, personal visits, and the resources of the Office of Multicultural Activities at JMU. Applications will be assessed on the basis of the student's academic achievements/potential, minimum course requirements, potential for continuation of the summer research project, and ability to support the diversity of the program. In addition to students, we will also recruit potential faculty mentors from these institutions via the use of Research Opportunity Awards to faculty that have active NSF grants