A Theme‐Based Seminar on Environmental Sustainability Improves Participant Satisfaction in an Undergraduate Summer Research Program |
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| Authors: | Stefan J. Grimberg Tom A. Langen Larry D. Compeau Susan E. Powers |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Clarkson University;2. Stefan J. Grimberg, Ph.D., P.E., is an associate professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Clarkson University, where he has taught environmental and interdisciplinary classes for the past 11 years. He has directed an interdisciplinary summer research program for undergraduate students for the past ten years. He is currently an Associate Editor for Journal Environmental Engineering. Dr. Grimberg's research focuses on delineating the role of microorganisms on contaminant transport in engineered and natural systems. Most recently he and his students are investigating the most efficient process to convert farm waste into biogas using anaerobic digestion. Other research projects involve the development of biofilters to remove trace contaminants from surface water run‐off and studying mercury transformations in wetland systems. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, N.Y. State Agriculture and Markets as well as other funding agencies.;3. Department of Biology Clarkson University;4. Tom Langen, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Departments of Biology and Psychology at Clarkson University, where he has taught courses on environmental science, conservation biology, and animal behavior for the last eight years. His research focuses on road ecology, including managing environmental impacts of road salt, and methods to identify and mitigate hotspots of animal road mortality. He was co‐director of the Clarkson REU Site Program in Environmental Science and Engineering from 2002–2006.;5. Department of Organizational and Consumer Studies Clarkson University;6. Larry D. Compeau, Ph.D., is associate professor in Consumer/Organizational Studies at the School of Business at Clarkson University. His research interests are in pricing, consumer behavior, public policy issues in marketing, scaling and measurement, and marketing strategy. His work and expertise in consumer behavior has been relied on in highly prominent popular press including Time magazine, Washington Post, National Public Radio, Christian Science Monitor, and the Associated Press. Dr. Compeau has published over 30 papers. His research has won numerous awards and has appeared in top journals including the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Review of Marketing Research and Pricing Strategy and Practice: An International Journal. He also was editor for a special issue of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing focusing on pricing and in an article published in 2002 he was cited as the 5th most published author over the past decade in that same journal. Dr. Compeau currently serves on the editorial boards of three journals including the Journal of Retailing, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, the Journal of Consumer Affairs.;7. Susan E. Powers, Ph.D., P.E., is the associate dean of Engineering for Research and Graduate Studies and a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Clarkson University. She received her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1992 and has two years of experience as a project engineer with Engineering Science in Syracuse, New York. Dr. Powers is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Contaminant Hydrology and Advances in Water Resources, has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, and is currently a member of the EPA Science Advisory Board, Environmental Engineering committee.;8. Dr. Powers' research includes both the understanding of fundamental mechanisms that control the migration and remediation of organic fluids in subsurface environment as well as broader lifecycle research to provide perspectives on composition of solvents, fuels and energy sources we use and their overall environmental impact. Dr. Powers has been a PI or co‐PI on over 25 research grants totaling more than $4 million. Her work as PI of both NSF‐REU and GK‐12 grants leading to the integration of research and education over a wide range of educational levels contributed towards her receipt of the National Science Foundation's Directors Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholar. This is the NSF's most prestigious award in this area. |
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| Abstract: | We analyzed seven years of pre‐program and post‐program survey data to evaluate the Clarkson University Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site Program in Environmental Science and Engineering, and evaluated whether our program was successful at meeting the intended outcome of increasing participants' likelihood of attending graduate school and pursuing a career in science or engineering research or education. We also evaluated how participant satisfaction in the program changed with the addition of a weekly seminar on environmental sustainability that was intended to improve participants' understanding of the societal value of their research projects. Participant satisfaction in the Clarkson REU Program was high, and increased after the addition of the sustainability seminar. Participants' intention to attend graduate or professional school increased after participating in the program, but their intention to pursue a career in science or engineering research declined. Over 60 percent of participants eventually attended graduate or professional school. |
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| Keywords: | environmental sustainability outcomes assessment undergraduate research |
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