Attracting and educating research scientists is a tricky and expensive business, but Gary Kuleck, a biology professor at Loyola Marymount University, has found a way to make the job easier.
Kuleck and his team have shown that studying genomics teaches students how to think like scientists and helps them discover research as a potential career. His findings were published in a recent issue of the journal Science.
Kuleck is one of the founding members of the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP), a consortium of undergraduate institutions that provides opportunities for students to participate in original genomics research. Genomics is the study of the DNA sequences of organisms and their structure, function and organization.
GEP members use a variety of teaching approaches, including computer-based resources for annotation and analysis and working in laboratories involving genome research.
In one approach, Kuleck and a team of researchers developed a way to convert research questions into a computer model that allows students to conduct original research, which is then entered into a public database accessed by scientists worldwide.
“With the GEP model, students receive hands-on experience collecting and analyzing real data,” said Kuleck. “They gain insight into how scientists work by partaking in real research that impacts a large number of people.”
Currently, most undergraduates are introduced to research by a faculty member, graduate student, or postdoctoral student during a summer in the laboratory. This approach, while usually successful, is an expensive proposition, since faculty must find funding for student housing and a stipend, and for schools that provide facilities and mentors. This means that very few students actually can participate in research.
With the GEP model, students conduct research during the academic year so it costs less, which makes the science field more accessible. “More opportunities are available to students now,” said Kuleck, “and we are able to reach students that we wouldn’t have been able to before.”
LMU was one of the first three schools to participate in the GEP model curriculum in the Fall of 2006. It has grown to over 40 participating schools and has included more than 1,000 students. The program can be adapted to all levels of education, from community colleges to top-tier research institutions.