URaCE meet-and-greet sparks conversation and collaboration

Dr. DeAnna Beasley (second from left) and members of the SERGUS REU visit Crabtree Farms on Friday, June 6. Photo by Angela Foster.

For dozens of students spending time at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga this summer, a gathering hosted by the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (URaCE) offered a chance to meet their peers and get a feel for the academic journeys ahead.

The June 2 meet-and-greet event, held in the community space at The Aviary at Stacy Town Center, brought together participants from four summer programs: three funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) initiatives comprised of undergraduate researchers from across the country and one serving high school students exploring futures in education.

Programs represented at the event included:

The NSF-REU Collaborative Site: The Socio-Ecological Role of Greenways in Urban Systems (SERGUS), co-led by UC Foundation Associate Professor DeAnna Beasley, immerses undergraduate students in field research examining the impact of urban greenways in Chattanooga. The program is part of a larger Urban Greenspace Research Collaborative that explores environmental, social and ecological dimensions of greenspace access and equity.
The Governor’s School for Prospective Teachers, a three-week residential program directed by UTC School of Education Assistant Professor Jennifer Lynberg. This month, 20 rising high school juniors and seniors are taking part in the experience, earning up to 11 college credits in Spanish and education through dual enrollment. The program emphasizes the performance, professionalism and partnership central to effective teaching and is designed to broaden students’ views of the challenges and opportunities in the profession. The College of Arts and Sciences supports the program by providing the students access to a pair of Spanish courses, under the direction of UC Foundation Professor of Spanish Lynn Purkey, head of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, at no cost to the students.
The ICompBio REU, led by Associate Professor Yingfeng Wang in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. During the 10-week program focused on computational biology, students work in interdisciplinary teams with mentors from both computer science and biology to explore research topics that involve deep learning, data visualization, modeling and mobile app development.
A NASA-funded Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science program led by Associate Professor Azad Hossain, an environmental geoscientist in the UTC Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science. The initiative examines how satellite-based remote sensing can be used to model chlorophyll-a concentrations in the Tennessee River. Hossain’s team includes both undergraduate and graduate researchers contributing to a broader understanding of water quality and environmental monitoring from space.

“The purpose of the meet-and-greet was to get students talking to each other, networking with each other and learning about each other’s projects and fields,” URaCE Executive Director Lisa Piazza explained. “We wanted students across these different programs to meet, connect and build a sense of belonging—whether they’re here for three weeks or 10.

“We’re always thinking about ways to support the amazing faculty leading these efforts and, at the same time, make these experiences as outstanding as possible for students—whether they’re from UTC or visiting for the summer.”

That meant icebreakers and shared conversations in a space where students could discuss the work they were doing, ask questions about each other’s projects, and compare notes on college and career goals.

“We gave everyone the chance to introduce themselves and talk about their academic trajectories,” Piazza said. “You could hear the passion in their voices. A lot of them made really clear connections between the research they’re doing this summer and the careers they want to pursue.”

Attendees ranged from students looking ahead to graduate school or medical careers to high schoolers exploring their college options.

“For instance, Dr. Lynberg’s students in the Governor’s School program are juniors and seniors in high school. They had just tremendous questions for the REU undergrad students,” Piazza said. “It was amazing to see that type of really, really deep engagement.”

That kind of exchange, she said, underscores the larger mission behind URaCE’s work.

“This really diverse group of students coming together—high schoolers, undergrads, Dr. Hossain’s students who have been working really intimately on their project—these are all really wonderful examples of what the outcomes of research are,” she said. “Not just doing the physical work, but it’s all the outcomes, the deliverables that happen as a result of all that hard work.”

While the students in each of the four programs are pursuing different projects, Piazza said the common thread is the kind of hands-on learning that builds confidence, technical skills and a sense of purpose.

“This is why we do the work that we do,” she said. “Everyone in our office is doing everything that we can to make sure that our students have really great research experiences here at UTC and then go on and have success in their careers. That’s what it’s all about.”