TCAP Undergraduate Online Community

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CO Integration of wheat and barley research Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project 5 yr. proposal (2011 – 2016), $25 million ) Slide: G. Muehlbauer

Triticeae-CAP: Improving barley & wheat germplasm for changing environments PIs: Jorge Dubcovsky UC Davis and Gary Muehlbauer University of Minnesota 56 funded participants, 28 institutions, 21 states Project direction Database, web resources & tools Genotyping labs Education coordination Industry liaison coordination Wheat and barley National Small Grain Collection Slide: G. Muehlbauer

TCAP Key Components Focused on climate change related traits Exploiting a variety of germplasm (elite lines, landraces, wild relatives, etc.) Enhancing the efficiency of breeding Student training in plant breeding Slide: G. Muehlbauer

TCAP Education Goals Grad students  Train a new generation of plant breeders  Plant Breeder Training Network – research in academia and industry Undergrad students  Increase awareness of and interest in plant genetics and plant breeding  Develop scientific research skills  Attract a more ethnically diverse pool of students

TCAP Undergraduate Research 70+ undergraduate students Research internships at TCAP and minority serving institutions Online community Opportunities to travel and present research –Local conferences –Plant and Animal Genome Conference – ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Conference Support for summer research exchange

Undergraduate Research Experience Collaborative research with MSIs –Arkansas State Pine Bluff –Chicago State University –Fayetteville State University, NC –Rust College, MS –State University of New York - Lehman College –University of California - Riverside

Undergraduate Research Experience Aligned with project research objectives Competitive Quality assurance –Mentored by trained graduate students or faculty –Students collect original –Students work collaboratively and independently –Interact with other scientists via the online community –Present results at scientific meetings –Participate in professional conference

Undergraduate Research Experience Online community of research interns provides: Peer support Student-scientist interaction Opportunity to present work and ideas Opportunity to receive feedback Expected outcomes Develop research skills Increased interest in grad studies in plant science Confidence in ability to succeed in graduate school

Making your internship work for you Set goals and objectives Adapt to the learning environment Take advantage of opportunities Assess and evaluate your experience and performance

Set goals and objectives “…if you don't know what you want from your undergraduate research experience, it isn't likely that you are going to get as much as you could from the experience” (TCAP intern). What do you want to get from your experience?

Set goals and objectives Learning Contract Research objective Methods Lab activities Personal goals and milestones - How will this experience challenge you? - Where do you want to be at the end? - How will you be able to show what you’ve gained?

Adapt to the environment “Learning from experience, compared to learning in class, involves working with different forms of knowledge in different ways.” What are some of the ways you learn from participating in research?

Adapt to the environment Different forms of knowledge Content, procedural, personal Different ways of learning “Communities of practice are groups who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” (Wenger 2006)

Adapt – Tips from Undergrad Interns Ask your mentor for a list of related articles Set up a schedule to meet regularly with your mentor Talk with your mentor about doing an independent project Don’t be afraid to ask questions Learn as many methods as possible Write down everything

Take advantages of opportunities Participate in undergrad meetings online Attend PBTN webinars (Wednesday at 3 pm) Present a poster or give a talk at a local or national scientific meeting TCAP will help cover costs of attending a national meeting Learn about internships with industry - online Learn about graduate school - online Network

Internships in seed industry: Begin applying now for summer 2015 internships - Dupont Pioneer, Syngenta, Dow Agrosciences, The Land Institute, Monsanto What are employers looking for? –Knowledge and experience – Generalist –Positive attitude –C3 – communicate, cooperate and collaborate –Problem solving skills –Time management skills –Self-directed –Ethical

Evaluate Your Experience Quality Factors Amount of time spent doing meaningful research Amount of time spent with mentor Opportunities to work independently Opportunities to decisions, plan and carry out research on your own Opportunities to interact with other scientist and identify with a scientific community Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment viewCopy.pdf

Evaluate Your Experience Research Skills Keeping a detailed lab notebook Conducting observations in the lab or field Explaining your project to others Making oral presentations Writing scientific reports or papers Using statistics Managing time Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment viewCopy.pdf

Evaluate Your Experience Thinking like a scientist Analyzing data for patterns Figuring out next step in a research project Problem-solving Formulating a research question Identifying limitations of research methods Understanding theory and concepts Understanding connections among disciplines Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment viewCopy.pdf

Evaluate Your Experience Personal Gains Understanding what everyday research work is like Comfort discussing scientific concepts with others Confidence in your ability to do well in science classes and in the lab Ability to work independently Understanding strengths and weaknesses Becoming conscientious about procedures Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment viewCopy.pdf

TCAP Undergraduate Online Community