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Increasing student engagement with an Environmental Sampling Research Method (ESRM)
Type of Session
Individual Paper Presentation
Abstract
The environmental sampling research module (ESRM) engages all students in the biotechnology program at the University of Houston to participate in an ongoing research activity to populate a database of the geographic distribution of environmental contamination. In this activity, students generate and mine their own scientific data to enhance their STEM skills. This allows them to contribute to research that is relatable and understandable, an experience often unavailable in standard courses. The model of crowdsourcing data collection through undergraduate research has not only contributed to student success, it has also led to the discovery of new soil bacteria and their genes that are capable of degrading toxic compounds. One current research project is using these newly discovered bacteria as sensors of environmental soil pollution and their potential to remediate contaminated soils, specifically in communities that show high incidences of cancer clusters due to soil contamination by toxic chemicals. The information is publicly available in the National Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database and will be valuable to scientists for research, governmental agencies for monitoring pollution, and the biotechnology industry for commercialization. The research will therefore help in our future efforts for safe and effective ways to treat environmental pollution. The model of integration of education and disciplinary research is being implemented nationally at five diverse institutions with diverse faculty and student populations. The approach provides a global platform to address and solve problems in environmental contamination as well as STEM education in a very cost-effective way providing socio-economic benefits on multiple levels