Crowdsourcing as a Tool for Undergraduate Research in the
Classroom
iROC - Investigating Research on Campus
Please be with us March 23rd when Evan Merkhofer and
Suparna Bhalla, Division of Natural Sciences, will present
Crowdsourcing as a Tool for Undergraduate Research in the
Classroom.
Undergraduate research has been shown to be a key component to
students’ education. Research, in combination with a sound academic
foundation, helps students to develop their critical thinking
skills, as well as their oral and written communication skills.
However, not all students have the opportunity to work
independently in a research setting, and involving all students in
this way can be cost and time prohibitive. Classroom Based
Undergraduate Research (CURE) programs provide students with the
opportunity to participate in authentic research while gaining
valuable skills and increasing scientific understanding.
Two CURE programs that have been implemented at the college will
be discussed: The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP)
involves upper level science majors, while the Science Education
Alliance - Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary
Science (SEA-PHAGES) program is geared towards first-year students.
Dr. Merkhofer and Dr. Bhalla will provide both qualitative and
quantitative data formally collected through Persistence in
the Sciences (PITS) and Classroom-based Undergraduate Research
Experience (CURE) surveys regarding the outcome of the CURE
programs.
Evan Merkhofer is an Assistant Professor of Biology in the
Division of Natural Sciences. Dr. Merkhofer graduated with a BS in
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Gettysburg College and a
Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he did his dissertation work
studying gene expression in breast cancer. He did his postdoctoral
work in Tracy Johnson’s lab at the University of California San
Diego before coming to the Mount in 2014. Dr. Merkhofer’s interest
is in studying the mechanisms of how genes are expressed, and
teaches classes in Genetics, Molecular Biology and Virology.
Suparna Bhalla is an Associate Professor of Biology in the
Division of Natural Sciences. She holds a MS Degree in Biological
Chemistry from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Ph.D. in
Experimental Medicine from McGill University, Canada. Her current
research projects include: Investigating the anti-proliferative
role of phytochemicals on cervical cancer cells, a collaboration
with NYS DEC monitoring the American Eel population in the
Quassaick Creek and isolation and annotation of novel viruses from
soil, as part of the SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage
Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) program.
Crowdsourcing as a Tool for Undergraduate Research in the
Classroom will take place in Kaplan Library Room 218 of the
Dominican Center. This event has been approved FYE credit as
College Connection. All are welcome to attend. Light refreshments
will be served. We hope to see you there!
For more information about this or any of the iROC
presentations, or to volunteer as or recommend an iROC speaker,
please contact the coordinators of the iROC program - Dr. Evan
Merkhofer, Assistant Professor of Biology, 845-569-3368, evan.merkhofer@msmc.edu
or Jen Park, Assistant Librarian for Access and Outreach Services,
845-569-3546, jen.park@msmc.edu.