MovingfromSurvivingtoThriving:TransformingtheFirstYearSTEM

ExperienceUniversityofRichmondIntegrated

ScienceExperience

“ThrivingQuotient”• EngagedLearning– ameasureofthedegreetowhichstudentsare

meaningfullyprocessingwhathappensinclass,energizedbywhattheyarelearning,andcontinuingtothinkaboutitoutsideofclass

• AcademicDetermination– ameasureofstudents’goal-directedness,investmentofeffort,andregulationoftheirownlearninganduseoftime

• PositivePerspective– ameasureofstudents’optimism,andexplanatorystyle

• SocialConnectedness– ameasureofstudents’involvementinhealthyrelationshipsandsocialsupportnetworks,whetheronoroffcampus

• DiverseCitizenship– ameasureofstudents’desiretomakeadifferenceinthecommunityaroundthem,aswellastheiropennesstodifferencesinothers

KeyAspects• FacultyAwareness–Vision&Change–HighImpactPractices–UnderservedstudentsinSTEM– Implicitbias,stereotypethreat,fixedvs.growthmindset

KeyAspects• FacultyDevelopment– Workshopsonactivepedagogy,assessment,metacognition,mindset,andstereotypethreat

– Workingwithfacultyatotherinstitutionsthroughmeetings,workshops,etc.

– Workingwithcolleaguestoplancurriculaandprogramsasateam

– Alumniandstudentfocusgroups

KeyAspectsforThriving• Developinginquiryskills– Theme-basedcourseinquiryintorealworldproblems(e.g.,challengesofachangingclimate,antibioticresistance,HIVepidemic)

– Authenticcourse-embeddedresearchexperiences

Grahametal.,(2013) Science,341

KeyAspectsforThriving• Integrated&InterdisciplinaryLearning– Weavingresearchproblemthroughmultipledisciplines

– Synthesisofknowledgeandskillsdevelopedtoaddresstheproblem

– Increaseinterdisciplinaryanddisciplinaryunderstanding

– Communicationofsciencetovarietyofaudiences

KeyAspectsforThriving

• EngagedPedagogies– Activelearning– “Highcoursestructure”withfrequentopportunitiesforassessment

– Scaffolded studentdevelopment

Grahametal.,(2013) Science,341

KeyAspectsforThriving

• Cohort-basedmodel– LearningCommunity– Communitybuildingactivitiesandcivicengagement

– Strongacademicsupportsystem(e.g.,tutors,advisors,mentoring)

Grahametal.,(2013)Science,341

KeyAspectsforThriving

• DevelopCognitiveandMetacognitiveskills– IntroducestudentstoBloom’staxonomy–Workonstudyskillsandlearningstrategies

STEMGraduates2010-2013

Year %Traditionallyunderrepresented of STEMGrads(URM)

% Traditionallyunderrepresented ofAllGrads(URM)

2010 6% 10%

2011 4% 11%

2012 9% 14%

2013 7% 16%

ArestudentswhoaretraditionallyunderrepresentedinSTEMinterestedin

STEMatRichmond?Date %ofSTEMInterestedwho

arefrom groupstraditionallyunderrepresentedinSTEM

%ofSTEMinterestedwhoareBlack/AfricanAmericanorHispanic

2012 28% 16%

2013 35% 19%

2014 29% 22%

• ~1/3ofallSTEMinterestedstudentsarefromgroups traditionallyunderrepresentedinSTEM

• InspiteofthefactthatBlack/AfricanAmericanandHispanicstudentsmakeup>15%oftheSTEMinterested,atgraduation, lessthan10%ofourSTEMgraduatesarefromthesegroupseachyear.

HHMI:CallforInclusion,Persistence,andCommunity

• “HHMIgrantshaveenabledcollegesanduniversitiestoinvolvelargenumbersofunderrepresentedminoritystudentsinstudentresearchandotheractivities...However,theirimpressivepotentialstillhasnotbeenrealizedasasubstantialincreaseinthenumberofstudentsfromunderrepresentedgroupswhogoontocareersinscience.”

URISEPre-firstYearSummerBridge:MorningProgram

• Mathandscienceskillbuilding(e.g.,microscopy,solutionmaking,dimensionalanalysis,statistics,DNAanalysis)throughdiscovery-basedforensicsproject

• CommunityandteambuildingthroughpartnershipwithCommonGround(diversityandinclusionprogram)

• Communityengagementandsocialjusticecomponentwithpartners(e.g.,URpolice,InnocenceProject)

• Academicskillsassessmentworkshops• Sciencewritingandcommunicationworkshop• Courseselectionandacademicadvising• Careerdevelopment(e.g.,alumniSTEMcareerlunches,

visitUNC,DukeorUVAgraduateandmedicalprograms)

URISEPre-firstYearSummerBridge:AfternoonProgram

• Mentoredprojectsinfacultyresearchlaboratories

• Studentsmatchedwithsupportivefaculty/peerswithsimilarinterests

• Developmentofresearchskills• ConnectionswithSTEMpeers

URISEPre-firstYearSummerBridge:WeekendProgram

• StudentslivetogetherindormswithSTEMpost-bac astheirResidentAssistant

• Saturdayexcursionstolocaldestinations(e.g.,VirginiaBeach,WashingtonD.C)

• Groupdinners,movies,speakers

URISEStudentDemographics• 55studentshavecompletedURISEoverthepast3years(15-20students/year):– 22men,33women– 15FirstGenerationCollegeStudents– 21PellEligibleStudents– 21AfricanAmerican/BlackStudents– 14HispanicStudents– 3NativeAmerican/Hawaiian

URISE

University of Richmond

e Integrated Science Exp e rienc

1 12 U RI S E _ - postcard - 1 . i n dd 12 /11/12 4 : 38 PM

SomeURISEOutcomes• 100%ofURISEstudentshaveconductedsummer

researchaftertheirfirstyear;66%arecontinuingresearchinsummeraftertheirsecondyear.Othersareininternships(e.g.,medical,publichealth).

• 100%ofURISEstudentsenrolledinadditionalSTEMcoursesaftercompletingIQSorSMART.

• 93%ofURISEstudentsfromthe1st twocohortshavedeclaredSTEMmajors.

• URISEstudentsreportstrongselfefficacy,feelingmorepreparedforcollegeclassesandresearch,andasenseofcommunity.

SMART

Science,Math,andResearchTraining(SMART)

• 2unitsclass(extendedtimeformath),weeklylabandworkshopinfallandspringof1st year=4U

• Countsasfirstcourseinbiology,chemistryandcalculusIandII• Designedforstudentswhodidnothaveopportunitiesinhigh

schoolforadvancedmath(e.g.,APcalculus)andwhoareinterestedininterdisciplinaryandintegratedlearningwithdesiretopursuebiology,chemistryorbiochemistrymajors.

• FocusonstudentstraditionallyunderrepresentedinSTEM• Highlystructured(pre-class,in-classandpost-classengagement)

SMARTCourseGoals• Demonstrateabilitytouseauthenticresearchskillsandapplyappropriatequantitativereasoning

• Integrateandapplyknowledgefrombiology,chemistry,andmathandcommunicateacrossdisciplines

• Expressincreasedconfidenceinscienceandmath• AbilitytounderstandHOWtheylearnandknowavarietyofproblem-solvingstrategies

• UnderstandandapplymaterialequivalenttoBio199,Chem 141,Calc IandCalc IIandmasteryofasubsetofcoreconceptsfromeachcourse.

HIV:MechanismsandSolutionsAfryeaHenderson,EdProvencher,LenaDang,MariaFlorentin

UniversityofRichmond,VA23173

IntroductionTheHumanImmunodeficiencyVirus(HIV)isapandemicthataffects39millionpeople.Approximately90%ofthesepeopleliveindevelopingcountriessuchasWestAfricawheremedicalcareisnotreadilyavailable.Ontheotherhand,therehavebeencaseswhen,evenaftermultipleexposurestoHIV,anindividualremainedHIVnegative.ThiswasdeterminedtobetheresultofamutationknownasCCR5-Δ32.ThismutationevolvedinourancestorsinnorthernEuropecenturiesago.Inorder tocombatHIV,itisvitaltofirstunderstandthevirusanditsmechanismsofinfection.Aftergaininganunderstandingofthesemechanisms,itbecomespossibletopursuesolutionstothispandemic.

DeterminingSteve’sViralLoadwithqRT-PCR

ManytestscanbeconductedtofindthepresenceofHIV,suchastheELISAtest.Other experimentssuchasRealTimePCRillustratesviralloadinapatientwhoisHIVpositive.UnderstandingthehostspecificityofViralPhageInfectivityandantibodies’abilitytoneutralizephagecanpotentiallyhelpfinddifferentmechanismsofHIVprevention.StandardmethodsofHIV-1treatmentcanbecomeproblematicwhendrugssuchasLopinavirandRitonavirareusedtodecreaseHIVProteasecleavagebecausethesedrugscouldalsoinhibittheabilityofPepsintocleaveproteinsinthestomach.Sofar,onlyonemutation,CCR5Δ32,hasbeendiscoveredthatleadstoresistancetoHIV.

Dr.AprilHill, Dr.CarolParish,Dr.FernandoGomez,JoseRoma,EricaModeste,Dr. JasmineCrenshaw,

(-)Control

Steve

Runner#1

Runner#2

Runner#2

(after6 mon th s)

(+)Control

● BythetimeSteve tested positiveforHIV,hewasalreadyexperiencingfull-blownAIDS.Duetopoorprognosis,itpromptedfriendsthatmayhavecomeincontactwiththevirusthroughSteve toseek testing.Runner#1tested negative, howeverwhenRunner#2beganexhibitingsymptomsafter6monthshisresultschangedfromnegativetopostive.

Ste ve ’scalcu late d viral load

Figure2.A.Quantitationgraphillustrates thefluorescencevisibility vs. cyclenumberofeachstandard throughout thePCRamplificationprocess.Lineabovex-axisis the thresholdindicator for fluorescence.B. I llustration ofstandardcurveofknowndilutions ofHIVEnvgene.C.Formulaused forcalculatingefficiency,E,thepercentagethatthestandardcurveindicates theamountofproduct increasingwitheachcycle.CalculatedEequated to1.01,which is considered reliable.D.TypicalcourseofHIVinfectionwithpointplotting Steve’scalculatedviral loadof113.279Env copies/mL.

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

ViralInvestigation

Experiment1

Experiment2Question: Arecombinationsofmonoclonalantibodiesmoreeffectiveatneutralizingphagesthansinglemonoclonalantibodiesalone?

Figure3.Phage attachingtobacteria.

Figure4.A.Structureof T4phage beforecontraction.B.Structureof T4aftercontraction.C.Illustrationof thelongtailf iber.

Question: Are bacteriophages such as T4 specific to E.coli Strain B or can it infect other species of bacteria?

Results: T4 is specific to E.coli Strain B.

Results: OurresultsindicatethatsinglemonoclonalantibodiesdolittletoinhibitT4,however,another groupwithinourlabfoundthataspecificcombinationofthemonoclonalantibodiesmayeffectivelyneutralizetheT4phage.

CanPepsin beinhibited byHIVProteaseinhibitors?

EmergenceofCCR5-Δ32MutationA. B.

D.

Figure7.A.gp120bindingtoaWildtypeCCR5.B.32bpdeletionthatconstitutestheCCR5Δ32mutation,renderingthatbindingsiteunusablebyHIVwhenattemptingtoinfectCD4+cell.C.ThePoissonDistributionisaformulausedtocalculatetheprobabilityofaneventoccurringinaf ixedintervalof timewithaknownmutationrate.Itwasestimatedthat686.977yearshadoccurredsincethedevelopmentof theCCR5Δ32mutation.D.ResultsfromamplificationofCCR5regionandelectrophoresis.

Figure6.A.HIVProteasebreakinguppolyproteinchain.B.ComparisonofHIVProteaseandPepsin.C.Comparisonof Inhibitors (Ritonavir &Lopinavir). D.Beer’s Lawused todetermineabsorbanceofChromophore inPepsin.E.I llustration ofSubstrateCleavageRatewithvariousSubstratevolumesand inhibitors.

HIV-1

CD4 +

UtilizingELISATestforSteve’sDiagnosis

Figure1.ELISATestdemonstratesifanti-HIVantibodiesarepresentinthesample.Abluewellindicatesapositiveresult,whileaclearwellindicatesanegative result.

A.

HIVP ro te ase Po lyp ro te in

Chain

H IVProteasePepsin

C.

B.

E.

C.

D.

Lopinavir Ritonavir

A.

B.

C. E=e-m- 1

D.

Figure5.A.Therateofneutralizationofphageisproportionaltothepercentagenotneutralized.B. Whenthedifferentialequationissolved,n(t)equalsthepercentage ofphagevirionsthatwereprevented frominfectingthebacterialcells.C. Thegraphoftheamountofphagesneutralizedafterdifferenttimesofincubation.

B.

Experiment3C.

Figure4.D. Example of whataplaquelookslike onaplate.

SomeSMARTOutcomes– 3yr data• 100%ofstudentsenrolledinSMARTfinished

the2semestercourse,100%conductsummerresearch;studentsreporthighselfefficacyandengagement

• 98%ofstudentscompletingSMARTtakeadditionalSTEMcourses

• 80%whohavedeclaredmajorsareSTEMand95%STEMmajororminor

SMART:ClassroomUndergraduateResearchExperienceSurvey(CURE)

SMARTQuotes• “Well,nowIhaveabetterunderstandingonhowmuchscientistscanmake

adifferenceforrealworldissues,andhowmuchweneedmorebrilliantscientists.Ialsounderstandhowmuchtimeandeffortintakestodiscovernewthingsandthatfailureisabigpartofsciencebutalsoanimportantpart. ”

• “Inhighschoolwejustlearnedthematerialandcrammedforthetestinordertogetagoodgrade.Therewasnodesiretostudytheinformationinordertolearnanduseitintherealworld.ButthiscoursehastaughtmethatIneedtolearntheinformationinordertouseinmyfuturecareer.Bydoingmoreadvancedandcurrentresearch,IdevelopedapassionforlearninginthehopesthatinmyfuturecareerIwillbeabletoutilizethisknowledge.IwanttohaveasmanyskillsandasmuchknowledgeaboutthesciencesaspossiblesoIcanhaveawiderangeofopportunitiesavailabletome. ”

• “Ifeelveryconfidenttalkingtopeopleaboutsciencewithpeopleafterdoingmyfirstposterpresentation.Atfirst,Iwasnervousofcourse,butthenalloftherelatedmaterialthatwediscussedduringthelabsbegantostartflowingoutnaturally.”

• “IfeelalotmorehopefulaboutthingsIcandowithasciencedegree.IhadpreviouslythoughtthatmyonlyinterestwasinmedicinebutIamfindingthatIhaveanaffinityforthechemistryaspectofthings.”

SMARTStudent’sPerspectives• “InSMARTwewentbeyondthematerialinthetextbooksand

appliedittooureverydaylives.Wewereabletolearnscienceandmathandactuallyseehowthesubjectrelatestotheworld,whichissomethingIwillbeabletotakeontomyotherclasses.Thisclasshaspreparedmetotakeonupperlevelclasseswithconfidence. ”

• “Theconnectionbetweenbiologyandcalculusinthisprogramisverystrong.Weanalyzedalotofourdatageneratedinbiolabsduringourcalc workshops.Thisreallyhelpedmetosynthesizecalc techniqueswithanalyzingandinterpretingdata.Ialsodevelopedstrongcomputerskillsthroughusingexcelregularly.Iamabletolookatasetofdataandunderstandwhatthenumbersmeans,andhowIcanusecertainequationsandgraphingtechniquestofurtherinterpretthem.”

• “Thisclassgavemetheconfidenceandmindsettoconnectpatternsandanalyzedata.Theseskillscanbecarriedtoanyclassscienceornon-science.Also,thescientificmindsetallowsmetomakeconclusionsandcarryoutexperimentslikeI'veneverbeenabletobefore. ”