RCN-UBE: Training Undergraduate Biologists through Urban Agriculture

在美国，只有不到40%的本科生在大学开始时对科学，技术，工程或数学（STEM）感兴趣，实际上毕业时获得了STEM学位。这种流失的部分原因是因为科学教育似乎抽象，往往与紧迫的社区问题无关。该项目将开发一个网络，利用城市农业将生物学教育与社区问题明确联系起来，从而使科学培训对所有背景的学生来说都更有趣和更容易获得。建议的主要活动包括围绕城市农业创建课程模块，帮助生物学学生学习科学过程的各个方面-从提出问题，设计项目和收集数据，到分析结果和展示发现。其他项目活动包括围绕城市农业组织的出国留学项目和机构间学期交流。这个包容性网络由来自各种机构（包括文科学院、部落和历史黑人学院以及研究型大学）的教育工作者组成，将通过区域研讨会和全国会议继续扩大。该项目将通过帮助学生，特别是那些来自代表性不足的群体，保持对生物学的兴趣，并成为科学界的宝贵贡献者，作出重要的社区贡献。重要的是，该计划还将强调城市农业如何通过农产品捐赠、教育推广和与社区合作伙伴的其他服务项目等活动，将科学培训与社区需求联系起来。科学领域的本科生流失是美国的一个重要问题，特别是对于来自代表性不足群体的学生。造成这种流失的原因之一是，教育活动往往与激励许多学生的社会和环境挑战没有明确联系。该项目将开发和扩大一个网络，通过城市农业（TUBA）培训本科生物学家，使本科生物教育更加有形使用城市农业为主题。城市农业非常适合本科生物学家，因为它为学生提供了实用和具有成本效益的机会，通过扩展和迭代的实地经验获得科学技能，并将学生直接与环境可持续性和社会正义问题联系起来。该网络由来自文理学院，TCU，HBCU和研究型大学的各种教育专家组成。主要活动包括创建课程模块，研讨会，网络聚会，学生交流和出国留学体验，这些活动将创造新颖和卓越的教育产品，其总体目标是减少STEM专业的流失。重要的是，该网络还将通过加强基础设施、支持志愿服务机会以及鼓励学生与社区合作伙伴一起参与“变革”活动，为校园和社区做出贡献。该网络的各个方面都旨在促进多样性，公平和包容性;培养同理心，协作和系统思维技能;并促进互惠的社区伙伴关系。该项目由生物基础设施部生物科学理事会和本科教育部教育和人力资源理事会共同资助，作为应对本科生物学教育中的愿景和变革所带来的挑战的努力的一部分：行动呼吁（网址：//visionandchange/finalreport/）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，更广泛的影响审查标准。

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.