Engaging Undergraduates in the Geosciences Research: A High Impact Learning Experience

Undergraduate research is an important component of undergraduate science education which can enhance their learning by promoting critical thinking skills and spatial understanding. To understand and assess the impact and benefits of undergraduate research experiences on personnel and professional carrier we developed two research projects and recruited sixteen students. We recruited students based on their interest in research, and not on the basis of their academic performances. The first project was utilized geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) to map and analyze spatial patterns in treeline data, and second project was dendrochronology focused, using tree-rings to assess climate response of sub-alpine tree species from the Nepal Himalaya and Alaska. Undergraduate students were diverse in academic major (Bioenvironmental Science, Geography, Geology, GIST, Environmental Geosciences, and Environmental Studies) and education level (U1, U2, U3, U4). Ninety percent of students had no previous experience with the research. Observations and conversations with undergraduate students suggest that students were more interested in science, had improved communication and reasoning skills, and were more comfortable working in a group following involvement in undergraduate research.

Presenting Poster in Student Research Week - 2017