New DataNugget: Do urchins flip out in hot water?

As part of a multi-site Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, two science teachers, Emily Chittick and Traci Kennedy, from Milwaukee Public Schools, conducted an experiment to see whether warmer water temperatures affected the ability of sea urchins to flip themselves over after being turned upside down. They wrote up this part of their summer… Read more »

LTER Graduate Student Spotlight: Dana Cook

This spotlight is part of an ongoing series featuring many of our wonderful LTER Network graduate student representatives who contribute valuable research and leadership across the network. To learn more about graduate research in the LTER network, visit this page. Dana Cook has been a graduate student with the Moorea Coral Reef LTER for the… Read more »

LTER Graduate Student Spotlight: Kelsey Solomon

This spotlight is part of an ongoing series featuring many of our wonderful LTER Network graduate student representatives who contribute valuable research and leadership across the network. To learn more about graduate research in the LTER network, visit this page. Kelsey Solomon is a graduate student at the University of Georgia, where she’s been conducting… Read more »

Mentoring Undergraduate Students at Moorea Coral Reef LTER

LTER sites preset extraordinary opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to learn about the process of science — and to discover whether their strengths and interests fit the demands of field ecology. Russell Schmitt and Sally Holbrook discuss how the Moorea Coral Reef site mentors undergraduate students and the rewards of the experience.  

Let’s CHAT about Improving REU Programs

Many scientists have pivotal experiences during their undergraduate education that lead them to choose a career in science, such as opportunities to conduct hands-on research or work closely with mentors. Unfortunately, it’s a challenge to measure the direct impact these foundational experiences have on participants. In a new paper, however, researchers from Harvard Forest LTER… Read more »

New Toolkit from CAISE on Inclusion in STEM

Informal Science (formerly the Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education) has released a new toolkit: Broadening Perspectives on Broadening Participation in STEM. Key practice briefs, such as these on Cultural Norms of STEM and Modeling Workplace Inclusion serve as discussion-starters for identifying the issues and solutions for each site. Find information on this and many other resources for increasing… Read more »

Webinar series on 21st century field education

Fiona Jevin in the field at Harvard Forest in 2010.

The Undergraduate Field Experiences Research Network (UFERN) is pleased to announce a new webinar series focused on 21st century field education. The webinar series will bring expertise to our discussions and thinking that support the goal of UFERN by moving field learning experiences into the 21st century. Please join us for the first webinar in this series… Read more »