The goal of this presentation is to outline the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSN) virtual Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program and lessons learned in order to help others develop robust virtual undergraduate research experiences. In spring 2020, as many universities were moving to online-only activities due to COVID-19, summer undergraduate research programs faced a difficult decision about whether and how to proceed. Given the impossibility of in-person lab experiences, many chemistry programs elected to cancel. The CSN pivoted to an online program with four goals: 1. Virtual research training focused on learning about CSN-relevant instrumentation/techniques, data analysis with real datasets, and examples of how these tools have been applied in the literature. 2. Professional development focused on career skills, leadership development, communication, innovation, and education. 3. Personal mentorship and professional networking opportunities through engagement with CSN graduate students, faculty, and staff. 4. Integrating students into the CSN community while providing financial support and continuity during a highly uncertain time. All four of these goals were given equal weight. We wanted both to adapt to the limitations of a virtual experience and to acknowledge our potential role in retaining students from historically marginalized backgrounds in STEM. Financial and institutional barriers to persisting in science, particularly for BIPOC, first generation, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and other students, would be exacerbated by the cancellation of a summer research experience. This influenced both the decision to proceed and the design of the program, which hinged on daily synchronous meetings of 1-2 hours, with a rotating schedule of career development and scientific topics, as well as regular meetings with host mentors and groups. Asynchronous activities included data analysis and a group Twitter outreach project. Based on end-of-summer evaluations, the program was highly successful (mean overall satisfaction was 4.86/5.0 on an end-of-summer survey).

Lessons learned from the NSF center for sustainable nanotechnology virtual summer undergraduate research experience

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.