RCN-UBE: Broadening undergraduate participation in ecology and evolution research through CUREs using digitized natural history collections data

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Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) increase student access to research opportunities, a key part of developing a well-trained and diverse STEM workforce. The Biological Collections in Ecology and Evolution Network (BCEENET) will support the development and implementation of ecology and evolution CUREs using digitized natural history collections data. These CUREs only require student access to a computer and the internet, increasing the accessibility of undergraduate research for all students, regardless of financial hardships, personal obligations, or physical abilities that may limit their participation in traditional research experiences.Network members including educators, pedagogy experts, and natural history collections professionals will collaborate on supporting CURE implementation using digitized natural history collections data at diverse institutions. Membership recruitment will include workshops focused on minority serving institutions and two-year institutions as well as conference presentations targeting the broader ecology and evolution education community and the natural history collections community. New implementers will participate in 4-day training workshops focused on CURE pedagogy and digitized natural history collections research, and all implementers will be provided with ongoing mentoring support. All network members will have continued opportunities for new skills training and participation in educational resources development and dissemination. Educational materials created through this project will be open access to support broad dissemination and implementation of collections CUREs, supporting research opportunities for diverse undergraduates at all institutional types. Through regular networking events the network will forge new and stronger ties between the natural history collections community and the education community, supporting new research collaborations and expanded use of underutilized collections. This project is being funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences as part of 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.