New course model introduces students to interdisciplinary research

A new course model has proven successful in providing research experience to college freshman and sophomores. The Resilience Solutions Incubator (RSI) aims to encourage scientific inquiry and community impact.

Originally developed by The University of New Mexico Accelerating Resilience Innovations in Drylands (ARID) Institute, the course is designed to provide students interested in biology and engineering with an immersive interdisciplinary research experience co-created with a community partner.

"The idea behind it is to get early undergraduate students involved in research in a non-intimidating way," said Abi Granath, a UNM Ph.D. student and research assistant for the class. "We talk about science communication and how to ethically go about that with certain communities that you work with."

Granath said students are introduced to research designs and how to set up experiments since many of them don't have experience doing that yet. "We just wanted to make it tangible and accessible for students with any sort of background. That's why there are no prerequisites for the course," Granath said.

Jennifer Rudgers is a Regents and Distinguished professor of biology at UNM who also serves as co-director of the ARID Institute. Jose Cerrato is a professor of civil construction and environmental engineering. Their team designed this course model and based it off a research classroom model done at the University of Texas at Austin. The courses are supported by a six-year grant from National Science Foundation and by the state of New Mexico Technology Enhancement Fund.

Granath said the first semester was spent designing the course. The second semester was teaching and implementing it. Each year will be a different topic. This year, they focused on bioremediation and worked with the Pueblo of Laguna as their community partners.

The course hosted a variety of guest lecturers, including Kirena Tsosie who gave a lecture on Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Thomas De Pree who gave a lecture on the history of the Grants Uranium District and ethical community engagement, a joint lecture from Kaitlyn Bryson, Tybur Casuse-Driovínto, and Mallery Quetawki who provided information on the art and science intersection for research communication, and Ara Winter who gave a lecture on information management and data sovereignty.

"Students learned about working with your community at the beginning, developing questions, understanding what the community concerns are, what the community needs are, and then structuring everything based off that partnership and that relationship, and then taking all the steps going forward of communicating properly," Granath said.

This first cohort of students included 10 participants who developed their own research projects. The RSI team is working with administrators to ensure that the class counts towards requirements for some kind of biology degree or an elective.

Student reflections on the course highlight just how engaging and empowering the RSI model can be, particularly for those at the very beginning of their academic journeys. Both first- and second-year students felt that the class helped them develop confidence as new researchers, deepen their understanding of authentic scientific processes, and see new possibilities for themselves in science.

"I'm getting confidence in wanting to do research," said Annabella, a first-year student double majoring in biology and French. "Before I started the class," she said, scientific research "seemed like this alien world." Now, "it feels like I can actually do this."

Julianna, a second-year biology major, described the opportunity to design and carry out her own experiment as a transformative experience. "It gave me a much deeper understanding of the scientific process" as complex and oriented to real world issues, rather than "cookie cutter."

Students pointed to the course's integration of community engagement as a key factor in reshaping how they thought about science. Rather than seeing research as a purely technical or academic pursuit, students came to view it as something personal, relational, and deeply rooted in place.

The course showed Julianna "how important it is for research to start in a place where you're trying to identify a community issue and then base all of your scientific research off of that."

Annabella echoed this sentiment, especially after learning about Indigenous approaches to science and communication. "You have to be open to understanding the places that aren't your own but also willing to make a personal commitment to those other communities," she said.

A guest lecture on culturally resonant science communication left a lasting impression, revealing "an alternate way to convey information" with and for Tribal communities.

The course also helped students realize that there are many different valid and influential pathways through science. Rather than narrowing her focus, the course opened new ways to think about how science, art, and community outreach can be interconnected.

Students emphasized the value of hands-on experimentation, guest lectures from Indigenous scholars and artists, and the mentorship model that paired experienced faculty with an approachable graduate student instructor.