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How Course Based Undergraduate Research Projects Inspire Young Researchers: A Microplastics Case Study
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This study isn't about microplastics' health effects directly — instead, it looks at how having college students research real-world microplastic pollution as part of their coursework affects their interest in science careers. The findings show that hands-on research projects, especially with mentorship and teamwork, motivated students to pursue further research opportunities, which matters because we need more young scientists tackling environmental health problems like microplastic contamination in the future.
Course based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are a method of embedding research practices and experiences into the undergraduate curriculum. They can provide opportunities for a large range of students to engage in research and provide learnings around multidisciplinary science. Herein is described a small CURE on the environmental monitoring of microplastics – The Microplastic Monitoring Project (M2 Project). The M2 Project is a horizontally embedded CURE with two involved courses but the M2 label also applies to stand alone 3rd year capstone and honours projects. The M2 project was used as a case study to investigate student motivation for continued enrolment in CUREs or further postgraduate experiences. Coursework students (n = 19) were surveyed (4 Likert type questions, 2 qualitative questions), and a research student (n = 1) was interviewed to examine if the CURE influenced their motivation towards research. Students were inspired by the CURE process and that mentorship, collaboration, and interdisciplinary experiences were key motivators.
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How Course Based Undergraduate Research Projects Inspire Young Researchers: A Microplastics Case Study
AI summary Read the abstract
This study isn't about microplastics' health effects directly — instead, it looks at how a hands-on college course studying microplastic pollution affected students' interest in science careers. Researchers found that students who got real research experience investigating environmental microplastics (through mentorship and teamwork) became more motivated to pursue further research, which matters because it means more future scientists could be inspired to tackle problems like plastic pollution and its potential impacts on our health and environment.
Enhancing Student's Sustainability Awareness through PBL-ESD on Microplastic Pollution
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Researchers tested a hands-on teaching method that has high school students tackle real problems around microplastic pollution, rather than just memorizing facts about it. The approach helped students better understand the science behind microplastics and become more aware of how this pollution affects the environment and, ultimately, human health through the food and water we consume. While this study focused on education rather than health outcomes directly, raising awareness in young people matters because informed communities are more likely to push for changes that reduce microplastic exposure in daily life.
A CURE for Microplastics: Introducing First-Year Honors Students to Environmental Chemistry through Undergraduate Research
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Researchers developed a course-based undergraduate research experience for first-year honors students centered on microplastic environmental chemistry, providing early research exposure to underrepresented STEM students. The study assessed whether such early-stage CUREs improve STEM persistence and students' sense of scientific identity.
The effect of environmental health education on microplastic pollution awareness
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This study found that environmental health education significantly increased students' awareness of microplastic pollution. The results suggest that incorporating microplastic-related topics into school curricula could help young people understand the health and environmental risks of plastic pollution. Raising awareness early is an important step toward reducing microplastic exposure at the individual and community level.
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This educational paper describes how microplastic contamination in marine organisms was incorporated as a final degree project theme for undergraduate chemistry students in Spain. The authors discuss how environmental research topics can effectively engage students in practical analytical chemistry training.
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