This award from the Chemistry Division supports the establishment of an Undergraduate Research Center (URC) as a collaborative effort involving 15 institutions of higher education in the state of Ohio. Ohio State University is the lead institution. The PI is Prabir Dutta, Ohio State University, with coPIs William Donovan, University of Akron, Allen Hunter, Youngstown State University, Laurence Mayer, Columbus State Community College, and Richard Taylor, Miami University. This proposal will provide funding to establish the Ohio Consortium for Undergraduate Research (OCUR). The Research Experiences to Enhance Learning (REEL) project is comprised of 15 institutions of higher education spanning the state of Ohio. The Project goals are: (1) to transform the current 1st and 2nd year chemistry courses into a research-intensive program so students will pursue additional scientifically oriented training, appreciate the scientific and ethical nature of research, and adopt the scientific method as a lifelong problem-solving technique; (2) to increase the retention and graduation rates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields; and, (3) to generate new knowledge in the chemical sciences through multi-site faculty student collaborative research projects that pool their results in a common data base. These goals will be achieved by: (1) developing, implementing, and evaluating Research Modules in undergraduate chemistry courses which are student-oriented, utilize discovery-based instruction, and provide for research-based experiences; (2) developing a flexible management structure to promote communication and collaborative curricular programming for undergraduate research in chemistry; (3) building student learning communities in chemistry within and across institutions; (4) enhancing the research capacity, infrastructure, and culture throughout Ohio by introducing Research Modules that employ accessible modern instrumentation; (5) facilitating access to instruments, promoting student collaborative projects/discussions, and linking research results in undergraduate chemistry using Ohio's ultra high-speed electronic network; (6) promoting student awareness of existing research opportunities in science; (7) integrating the Research Modules into the curriculum at all the partner institutions; (8) increasing graduation rates in STEM fields by at least 10% over current levels and monitoring demographic and graduation trends; (9) increasing student participation by at least 20% in traditional undergraduate research programs, regardless of their major; (10) creating a Faculty Enhancement Committee to critique and shape the project; (11) increasing the number of publications coauthored by undergraduates in refereed journals, poster sessions, and electronic journals; (12) performing a quantitative and qualitative longitudinal study to compare student outcomes in the current chemistry labs with those from the new research-intensive labs; (13) expanding the Consortium membership by seven institutions by the end of the project, with a particular emphasis on community colleges; and, (14) disseminating OCUR-REEL's best practices and materials to relevant communities. The leadership and management plans provide for continuous input from all the participants through a governing board consisting of the chemistry chairs from all of the major institutions in the state of Ohio. Continuous feedback to the governing board will be provided through a Faculty Enhancement Committee charged with: (1) critiquing the REEL project; (2) suggesting changes in module content and structure; (3) discussing the performance of REEL-trained undergraduates in faculty research programs, and; (4) discussing issues of undergraduate research experience in the scholarship of teaching and learning. The Evaluation and Assessment Center for Mathematics and Science Education in Ohio, directed by Dr. Jane Butler Kahle, will serve as external evaluator for this project. The Office of Multidisciplinary Activities, Directorate of Mathematics and Physical Sciences co-funds this award.
