A Theme-Based Seminar on Environmental Sustainability Improves Participant Satisfaction in an Undergraduate Summer Research Program

Journal of Engineering Education, Jan 2008 by Grimberg, Stefan J, Langen, Tom A, Compeau, Larry D, Powers, Susan E

ABSTRACT

We analyzed seven years of pre-program and post-program survey data to evaluate the Clarkson University Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site Program in Environmental Science and Engineering, and evaluated whether our program was successful at meeting the intended outcome of increasing participants' likelihood of attending graduate school and pursuing a career in science or engineering research or education. We also evaluated how participant satisfaction in the program changed with the addition of a weekly seminar on environmental sustainability that was intended to improve participants' understanding of the societal value of their research projects. Participant satisfaction in the Clarkson REU Program was high, and increased after the addition of the sustainability seminar. Participants' intention to attend graduate or professional school increased after participating in the program, but their intention to pursue a career in science or engineering research declined. Over 60 percent of participants eventually attended graduate or professional school.

Keywords: environmental sustainability, outcomes assessment, undergraduate research

I. INTRODUCTION

Mentored summer research programs for undergraduates are a popular way to provide authentic participation in research, with the aim of encouraging participants to pursue graduate studies and careers in science or engineering (Bauer and Bennett, 2003; Kinkead, 2003; Seymour, Hunter, Laursen, and Deantoni, 2004). Typically, participants are paid a stipend, housed, and provided opportunities for recreation. In exchange, participants primarily conduct research under a faculty mentor for a period of eight to 10 weeks, but are also expected to participate in other program activities. In our experience, the ancillary program activities are perceived by participants as equally valuable as the research experience itself in terms of meeting program objectives and at increasing enjoyment (Langen and Grimberg,2006).

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is one of the largest sources of funding for undergraduate summer research programs in science and engineering, both through awards to individual researchers and through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site Program. Over 120 REU Site Programs are currently funded in engineering disciplines alone. NSFs stated objective for the REU Site Program is to attract and retain promising undergraduates to careers in science and engineering research and education. This is to be achieved by funding programs that recruit a cohort of students to perform mentored research projects that share a common intellectual theme (National Science Foundation, 2005). Although the importance of outcomes assessment for undergraduate research experiences such as the REU Site Program is widely recognized, there are few properly designed studies to measure success at meeting program outcomes (Blockus, Kardash, Blair, and Wallace, 1997; Lopatto, 2004; Seymour, Hunter, Laursen, and Deantoni, 2004).

Is it necessary for a program to stress a specific and unifying theme for participants to have a satisfying and productive experience? We examine this question using seven years of assessment data on the Clarkson University REU Program in Environmental Science and Engineering. After the third year of our program, a weekly seminar focusing on environmental sustainability was added to provide a more explicit and clearly defined emphasis on the Clarkson REU Site Program's dieme. This component was incorporated as a strategy to improve participants' understanding of the relevance and importance of their own research and that of other participants toward improving environmental sustainability.

Students completed a detailed survey of both expected and actual research experiences, pre- and post-program attitudes about research and graduate education, and program expectations and retrospective evaluations of the Clarkson REU Site Program. Participants were contacted periodically after completion of the program to track education and career progress. In this paper, we use the data provided by our prospective and retrospective program surveys and career tracking to evaluate the success of our program at meeting the general program objectives: providing a rewarding and enjoyable research experience that results in a higher likelihood of participants attending graduate school and pursuing a career in science or engineering. We also assess the impact of adding a seminar to strengthen the program's focus on research for environmental sustainability. We hypothesized that overall satisfaction with the program would increase in the second four-year period relative to the first three years of the Clarkson REU Site Program, because participants had a better appreciation of the relevance of their research as a consequence of participating in the sustainability seminar. This, in turn, would result in an increased likelihood of participants attending a graduate program in science, engineering, or education.