RCN-UBE: Training Undergraduate Biologists through Urban Agriculture

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Less than 40% of undergraduate students in the US who start university with an interest in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) actually graduate with a STEM degree. Part of the reason for this attrition is because science education can seem abstract and often not relevant to pressing community problems. This project will develop a network that employs urban agriculture to explicitly connect biology education to community issues, thereby making science training more interesting and accessible for students from all backgrounds. The main proposed activities include creation of course modules around urban agriculture that help biology students learn every aspect of the scientific process – from coming up with questions, designing projects, and collecting data, to analyzing results and presenting findings. Other program activities include study abroad programs and inter-institution semester exchanges organized around urban agriculture. This inclusive network, consisting of educators from a variety of institutions (including liberal arts colleges, tribal and historically black colleges, and research universities), will continue to expand through regional workshops and national meetings. The project will make important community contributions by helping students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, stay interested in biology and become valuable contributors to the scientific community. Importantly, the program will also emphasize how urban agriculture can connect scientific training to community needs through activities such as produce donations, educational outreach, and other service projects with community partners. Undergraduate attrition from science fields is a significant problem in the United States, particularly for students from underrepresented groups. One reason for this attrition is because educational activities are often not clearly connected to the social and environmental challenges that motivate many students. This project will develop and expand a network, Training Undergraduate Biologists through urban Agriculture (TUBA), to make undergraduate biology education more tangible using urban agriculture as a theme. Urban agriculture is ideally suited for undergraduate biologists because it provides practical and cost effective opportunities for students to gain scientific skills through extended and iterative field experiences and connects students directly to environmental sustainability and social justice issues. The network consists of diverse educator expertise from Liberal arts colleges, TCUs, HBCUs and Research universities. Main activities involve creation of course modules, workshops, network gatherings, student exchanges, and study abroad experiences that will create novel and exceptional educational offerings, with an overarching goal of reducing attrition from STEM majors. Importantly, the network will also contribute to campuses and communities by enhancing infrastructure, supporting volunteer service opportunities, and encouraging students to engage in “changemaking” activities with community partners. Every aspect of this network will aim to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; cultivate empathy, collaboration, and systems thinking skills; and foster mutually-reciprocal community partnerships. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.