Entering Research: A Curriculum to Support Undergraduate & Graduate Research Trainees (Paperback-2019)

For students whose experience with science has been primarily in the classroom, it can be difficult to identify and contact potential mentors, and to navigate the transition to a one-on-one, mentor-student relationship. This is especially true for those who are new to research, or who belong to groups that are underrepresented in research. The Entering Research curriculum offers a mechanism to structure the independent research experience, and help students overcome these challenges.

Janet L. Branchaw is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology in the School of Education and the Faculty Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement (WISCIENCE) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison). She earned her B.S. in Zoology from Iowa State University and her Ph.D. in Physiology with a focus on cellular neurophysiology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Most recently she is leading UW–Madison’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence project to catalyze institutional change to support 2- to 4-year STEM transfer students.
Amanda R. Butz is the Director of Evaluation and Research for the Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement (WISCIENCE) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Kentucky, where her research focused on academic motivation, self-efficacy, and the beliefs and aspirations of rural potential first-generation college students.
Amber R. Smith is the Associate Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement (WISCIENCE) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison). She earned her B.S. in Biology from Carroll College and her Ph.D. in Plant Breeding Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Biology Education (now WISCIENCE), Smith developed first-year transition programs for Biology students at UW–Madison before continuing her educational development work as an instructional consultant in the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the University of Michigan. At CRLT she led inclusive teaching professional development trainings for graduate student instructors, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty.