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Publications & Presentations

Building searchable community databases with WordPress

This panel discussed how to best use WordPress to create searchable databases that provide value to your institution and community and take your website from a brochure site to an interactive tool. Panelists discussed four different WordPress-powered databases created by the Colorado State University STEM Center and Colorado-Wyoming Alliance for Minority Participation, which allow students,...

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Exploring the long-term academic and career impacts of undergraduate research in geoscience: A case study

Abstract: Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been shown to facilitate students’ pursuit of graduate studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, including geoscience. Less is known about why or how UREs have a lasting impact on participants, particularly through graduate school and into careers. Furthermore, few studies have captured the views...

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Prefiguring Sustainability through Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Reflections and Recommendations for Student Development

Abstract: PAR-based UREs are undergraduate research experiences (UREs)—built into university-community partnerships—that apply principles of participatory action research (PAR) towards addressing community-defined challenges. In this paper, we advance PAR-based UREs as an action-oriented framework through which higher education institutions can simultaneously enact and advance the United Nations sustainable development agenda, while cultivating student development. We draw upon...

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Linking Biophysical, Socioeconomic, and Political Effects of Climate Change on Agro-Ecosystems

Abstract: To meet the sustainability challenges of the future, we need leaders who are trained to work well in diverse, multidisciplinary teams and a populace that understands the biophysical and socioeconomic challenges facing humanity and how to meet the needs of its diverse stakeholders. With a goal of increasing climate literacy amongst college students, we...

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Who produces knowledge? Transforming undergraduate students’ views of science through participatory action research

Abstract: Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) that include interdisciplinary, engagement‐oriented, and collaborative experiences have the potential to benefit students in unique ways. Through these innovative experiences, students are able to see the social impact and importance of their work—a factor known to strengthen the academic and career persistence of students traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering,...

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Toward Meaningful Interdisciplinary Education: High School Teachers’ Views of Mathematics and Science Integration

Abstract: Numerous national initiatives call for interdisciplinary mathematics and science education, but few empirical studies have examined practical considerations for integrated instruction in high school settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold. First, the study sought to describe how and to what extent teachers integrate mathematics and science curricula in their classrooms after...

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Student Perceptions of Interest, Learning, and Engagement from an Informal Traveling Science Museum

Abstract: Informal Science Education (ISE) programs have been increasing in popularity in recent years. The National Research Council has laid out six strands that ISE programs should try to address, including increasing interest, knowledge, and allowing participants to engage in scientific activities. Past research suggests that informal settings can increase interest in science and may...

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Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Abstract: We present a new conceptual model situating research experiences for undergraduates within a context of participatory action research. The purpose of the theoretically grounded Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates (PAREU) model is to act as a second year addition to traditional, lab-based research experiences where undergraduate science students, social science experts, and community...

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Computational thinking: A scoping review of the existing scholarship and research

Abstract: Efforts to advance computer science education at the federal, state, and corporate levels advocate a focus on computational thinking (CT). This emphasis on CT has resulted in a vast amount of literature devoted to the discussion or study of its concepts. This paper presents a study that employs the Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines to systematically...

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Participatory Action Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Abstract:  Research experiences for undergraduates (REU) have been shown to be effective in improving undergraduate students’ personal/professional development, ability to synthesize knowledge, improvement in research skills, professional advancement, and career choice. Adding to the literature on REU programs, a new conceptual model situating REU within a context of participatory action research (PAR) is presented and...

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