Sewall Julia Massimelli, Oliver Andrew, Denaro Kameryn, Chase Alexander B, Weihe Claudia, Lay Mi, Martiny Jennifer B H, Whiteson Katrine
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697.
Teaching and Learning Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697.
J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2020 Apr 30;21(1). doi: 10.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1991. eCollection 2020.
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are an effective way to introduce students to contemporary scientific research. Research experiences have been shown to promote critical thinking, improve understanding and proper use of the scientific method, and help students learn practical skills including writing and oral communication. We aimed to improve scientific training by engaging students enrolled in an upper division elective course in a human microbiome CURE. The "Fiber Force" course is aimed at studying the effect of a wholesome high-fiber diet (40 to 50 g/day for two weeks) on the students' gut microbiomes. Enrolled students participated in a noninvasive diet intervention, designed health surveys, tested hypotheses on the effect of a diet intervention on the gut microbiome, and analyzed their own samples (as anonymized aggregates). The course involved learning laboratory techniques (e.g., DNA extraction, PCR, and 16S sequencing) and the incorporation of computational techniques to analyze microbiome data with QIIME2 and within the R software environment. In addition, the learning objectives focused on effective student performance in writing, data analysis, and oral communication. Enrolled students showed high performance grades on writing, data analysis and oral communication assignments. Pre- and post-course surveys indicate that the students found the experience favorable, increased their interest in science, and heightened awareness of their diet habits. Fiber Force constitutes a validated case of a research experience on microbiology with the capacity to improve research training and promote healthy dietary habits.
基于课程的本科研究经历（CUREs）是向学生介绍当代科学研究的有效方式。研究经历已被证明能促进批判性思维，提高对科学方法的理解和正确运用，并帮助学生学习包括写作和口头交流在内的实践技能。我们旨在通过让参加高级选修课程的学生参与人类微生物组CURE来改善科学训练。“纤维力量”课程旨在研究健康的高纤维饮食（两周内每天40至50克）对学生肠道微生物组的影响。注册的学生参与了一项非侵入性饮食干预，设计了健康调查，测试了饮食干预对肠道微生物组影响的假设，并分析了他们自己的样本（作为匿名汇总）。该课程包括学习实验室技术（如DNA提取、PCR和16S测序）以及结合计算技术，使用QIIME2和R软件环境分析微生物组数据。此外，学习目标侧重于学生在写作、数据分析和口头交流方面的有效表现。注册的学生在写作、数据分析和口头交流作业中表现出高分。课程前后的调查表明，学生们认为这段经历不错，增加了他们对科学的兴趣，并提高了对饮食习惯的认识。“纤维力量”构成了一个经过验证的微生物学研究经历案例，有能力改善研究训练并促进健康的饮食习惯。
