This study documents outcomes, including student career choices, of the North Dakota Institutional Development Award Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence program that provides 10-week, summer undergraduate research experiences at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Program evaluation initiated in 2008 and, to date, 335 students have completed the program. Of the 335, 214 students have successfully completed their bachelor’s degree, 102 are still undergraduates, and 19 either did not complete a bachelor’s degree or were lost to follow-up. The program was able to track 200 of the 214 students for education and career choices following graduation. Of these 200, 76% continued in postgraduate health-related education; 34.0% and 20.5% are enrolled in or have completed MD or PhD programs, respectively. Other postbaccalaureate pursuits included careers in pharmacy, optometry, dentistry, public health, physical therapy, nurse practitioner, and physician’s assistant, accounting for an additional 21.5%. Most students electing to stop formal education at the bachelor’s degree also entered fields related to health care or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (19.5%), with only a small number of the 200 students tracked going into service or industries which lacked an association with the health-care workforce (4.5%). These student outcomes support the concept that participation in summer undergraduate research boosts efforts to populate the pipeline of future researchers and health professionals. It is also an indication that future researchers and health professionals will be able to communicate the value of research in their professional and social associations. The report also discusses best practices and issues in summer undergraduate research for students originating from rural environments.

This study documents the efforts of the North Dakota (ND) IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program to assist in the development of undergraduate research programs at four state-supported primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) in ND. The study was initiated in the 2004-2005 academic year and continues to the present. The study shows that gaining initial institutional support for undergraduate research was assisted by providing salary support for faculty involved in undergraduate research. Once research was ongoing, each institution evolved their own unique plan for the use of support from the ND INBRE. Undergraduate student researchers have prepared, presented, and defended their research results on 188 unique posters since initiation of the program, with many posters being presented at more than one meeting. PUI faculty have authored 35 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Evaluation has shown that over 95% of the undergraduate students performing research matriculated with their bachelor's degree. Career choices of 77.2% of these graduates was determined, and 37% pursued a career in the health professions. Of the students not pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree, 81.2% chose careers directly linked to science. The study reinforces the concept that undergraduate research can be performed directly on the PUI campus and be of value in preparing the next generation of health professionals in research, service, and teaching.

This study analyzed terminal degree and career choices of students who performed undergraduate research. In one analysis, the study compared terminal degree and career choices between a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) and traditional non-course-based undergraduate research experiences at one primarily undergraduate institution (PUI). Students who pursued postbaccalaureate programs chose terminal degrees at levels exceeding 75%, with no significant difference between a CURE experience and a traditional research experience. Analysis of terminal degree and career choices at four PUIs providing traditional research experiences showed a marked difference in the number of students pursuing terminal degrees. Two PUIs showed rates > 75%, whereas students at the other two PUIs pursued terminal degrees <50% of the time. The majority of students not pursuing terminal degrees chose M.S. degrees in education and healthcare. An analysis was also performed among students participating in traditional summer undergraduate research on a research-intensive university (RIU) campus with a medical school. Students were accepted from two programs, an NIH IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program recruiting students from the RIU and an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program recruiting undergraduates from rural PUIs and minority-serving institutions, particularly tribal colleges. Analysis showed that >70% of the students who pursued postbaccalaureate programs chose terminal degrees. INBRE undergraduates displayed a marked preference for the M.D. degree (73.9% vs. 17.4%), whereas the REU students chose the Ph.D. degree (75.0% vs. 22.9%). American Indian students were also analyzed separately for career choice and showed an equal preference for the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees when pursuing postbaccalaureate education. Overall, the results provide evidence that undergraduate student research stimulates student careers in areas needed by the nation’s citizen stakeholders.

The undergraduate years are a critical time to engage students in research, but opportunities are sparse for rural and tribal students who are an underrepresented demographic in research labs. To reach this population, we have given special consideration to recruitment, lab experience, and retention. This has included partnering with successful Native American scientists and faculty at rural and tribal colleges, campus visits, and addressing the unique needs of this demographic. Utilizing a peer mentoring approach, we have trained 30 rural and tribal students in our lab and through a Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Peer mentoring in a research laboratory creates an environment which encourages students to continue in research. New students are paired with experienced undergraduates and gradually introduced to techniques and concepts. Undergraduates are supported in their strengths within the lab and encouraged to help spread their expertise to other students; advice and encouragement are plentiful from peers and faculty. This makes for a positive lab experience, promoting interest in research and science, and opening new career avenues. This approach has been effective, resulting in a significant number progressing to graduate or medical school, or secondary science education. Supported in part by ND EPSCoR, NSF CAREER 0347259, NSF REU Site 0639227, and the American Physiological Society.

To bolster the number of students who pursue careers in science, it is imperative that we recognize the undergraduate years as a time to begin engaging students in research. Whether these undergraduates eventually enter graduate/medical school, go into K‐12 education, or pursue another career path altogether, a research experience is highly beneficial. Peer teaching has been used in different forms in higher education, commonly to allow higher enrollment in a course. However, it has been noted that utilizing students as teachers also affords them the opportunity to learn the material more deeply. In our laboratory, we have 7 to 12 undergraduate researchers at any given time. After becoming proficient with the technical aspects of their work, they each, in turn have assisted with training newer students. This has included undergraduates from our university, as well as those from other schools participating in a summer research program. Our experience indicates that this approach not only increases the number of undergraduates who can participate, but may also increase the number of students ultimately interested in scientific careers. The quality of the endeavor is reportedly high for both the peer teachers, as well as the new undergraduates, and we believe this improves participant satisfaction with their research experience. This study was funded in part by ND EPSCoR, NSF CAREER 0347259 and NSF REU Site 0639227.