Catalyst Project: Biology Program Enhancement Through Education and Research in the Ecological Sciences

Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to work towards establishing the research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate education and research. It is expected that the award will further the faculty member's research capability, improve research and teaching at the institution, and involve undergraduate students in research experiences. Saint Augustine's College seeks to enhance the quality of STEM education for undergraduate students enrolled in the biology curriculum by emphasizing ecological sciences and incorporating research-based educational approaches. Specifically, the project outlines strategies to implement evidence-based pedagogical interventions that advance students' critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as increase the number of biology majors, who ultimately enter the ecological sciences workforce or pursue graduate degrees.

In this project, STEM majors at Saint Augustine's College will be exposed to authentic research experiences in the ecological sciences for emerging scientific workforce opportunities and/or competitive entry into cutting-edge graduate programs that infuse robust biomathematics. The ecological sciences initiative will offer students hands-on training in the areas of ecosystem, molecular, and biomathematics research, which are currently limited at Saint Augustine's College. Students will be introduced to ecological sciences research in a first-year biology course in years 1 and 2 and through a combined field and molecular ecology workshop series in year 2 of the project. In addition, students will be supported in off-campus research experiences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Institute of Marine Sciences, North Carolina State University, or Duke University. For molecular and data science training, next-generation sequencing using the Nanopore MinION System, quantitative PCR studies, and R programming analysis will be included. This project will also evaluate student recruitment to the biology major, their academic success and retention, coupled with student post-graduation success.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.