Increased Access to Authentic Research Through a Linked Sequence of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences in Organic and Analytical Chemistry

ChemCURES项目将实施基于课程的本科生研究经验（CURE）序列，将较低的有机化学课程与较高的分析化学课程联系起来。ChemCURES的目标是改变学术课程和科学研究之间的关系，以丰富学生的经验，并使参与科学教师更大的研究生产力。学生研究的重点将是缓步动物，一种微观的极端微生物，它产生糖分子以在干燥和冷冻中生存。ChemCURes学生将首先在有机CURE中创建各种修饰的糖分子，然后在分析CURE中测试这些分子的相互作用特性。 对这些修饰的糖分子的研究应该会为开发新的细胞防腐剂带来新的见解。ChemCURes将建立在记录在案的证据的改善，学生的感知参与和坚持在科学课程时，注册在CURes。为了确定的因果机制的有效性和可持续性的CURES，一个全面的教育研究设计将告知教师和学生在三个大学实验室的情况下收集的证据：CURES，传统的实验室课程，和研究实习。 学生学习的评估将集中在实验解决问题，实验室技能，并在三个学生队列的背景下写作。教师的评估将集中在他们的开发和实施的化学固化系列和他们的修订的CURE使用经验证据。 最终，该项目将导致一个转型和可持续的系统，当然转型的过程将提供一个独特的机会，以检查连接一个较低的司级课程到一个较高的司级课程的治愈序列的效果。

The ChemCUREs project will implement a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) sequence in Chemistry that links a lower-division, organic chemistry course to an upper-division, analytical chemistry course. The goal of ChemCUREs is to transform the relationship between academic coursework and science research to enrich students' experience and enable greater research productivity for participating science faculty. The focus of student research will be the tardigrade, a microscopic extremophile, which produces sugar molecules to survive desiccation and freezing. ChemCUREs students will first create a variety of modified sugar molecules in the organic CURE, and then test the interaction properties of those molecules in the analytical CURE. The study of these modified sugar molecules should lead to insights for the development of new cell preservatives. ChemCUREs will build on documented evidence of improvement in students' perceived participation and persistence in science coursework when enrolled in CUREs. In order to ascertain the causal mechanisms underlying the effectiveness and sustainability of CUREs, a comprehensive education research design will inform the collection of evidence from faculty and students in three university laboratory contexts: CUREs, conventional laboratory courses, and research internships. Assessments of student learning will focus on experimental problem solving, laboratory skills, and writing in context for the three student cohorts. Evaluation of faculty will center on their development and implementation of ChemCURE series and their revision of the CUREs using empirical evidence. Ultimately, the project will result in a transformed and sustainable system, and the process of course transformation will provide a unique opportunity to examine the effect of a CURE sequence that links a lower-division course to an upper-division course.