NEW! Two books for students and mentors on successful research in STEMM
Our two new books – published this month – share our experience and knowledge about successful undergraduate research with the broader STEMM community.
Ecology for diversity!
We continue our discussion of improving DEIB in ecology. There has been much discussion of this topic in the last several decades. The need for action has never been greater.
Diversity among ecologists?
Ecology is one of the least diverse fields in STEM. A recent set of papers, including one of our own, highlights challenges and solutions for recruiting and retaining diverse people into ecology.
Posters: The Better Choice?
Posters are typically seen as a lesser choice for presenting at meetings and conferences. They are often considered less interesting or compelling than oral talks, a consolation prize, or simply a waste of time, effort, and resources. But why?
Calling All Presenters
“The science speaks for itself”. How many times have we heard this? While the sentiment is true, the messenger plays a key role in getting the message across. Effectively presenting our research at conferences and meetings is how “we speak for the science” and ourselves.
Abstracts are the OG Tweet
In a world of information overload and ever-present time crunches, Twitter has found a way to get our attention: a 280-character statement and an optional photo. In science we use an abstract for that same purpose. Are abstracts the OG tweet?
Communicate or Dissipate!
How do we share the excitement we feel when we’re doing science and communicate our latest findings and their broader importance? We can use instant informal channels (Twitter, Facebook) or slower, formal ones (posters, talks, or papers). Which should we choose and when should we use it to maximize the impact of our research?
S4’s Presentation at UFERN
Last week, S4 Founding Principal Manisha Patel presented a “lightning talk” at the 2021 UFERN Conference. See the slides and learn more about how we have been thinking about and measuring student impacts from undergraduate research experiences.
S4 at UFERN
The Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology, an NSF REU Site, provides undergraduate students an immersive field research experience in ecology. We use the theoretical framework cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to better understand our student and program outcomes.
Contributors to student gains in undergraduate research published in BioScience
Prior laboratory research experience and perception of being a respected member of a research team were positively associated with gains in research skills and abilities to do and present research.
S4 Founding Principals Publish in Ecology and Evolution
With our latest research, published in Ecology and Evolution, we describe how one sociocultural learning framework, cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT), could be used to guide data collection to characterize the effects of REU programs on participant’s learning in an educationally meaningful context.
Sound Solutions for Sustainable Science 