This research project examines engagement of undergraduate students in research during the pandemic. This question has a direct impact on us as a society due to the challenges introduced by the global pandemic. Our research team consists of 4 students [Dillon Horvath, Sydney Fingerhood, Collin Quinn, Connor Powell], a part of a larger group of students in the First Year Research Experience [FYRE]course. We collectively recruited 12 individuals at Miami University ranging from undergraduate students to faculty members. After conducting our interviews, we went through each interview transcripts and annotated them to identify comments of significance to the study. The annotations were compiled across all 12 interviews, and further examined for common trends. Our analysis revealed that the pandemic has caused a great number of complications in the research processes. These include having to adapt to new forms of communications, how travel needs could no longer be met due to restrictions and shutdown related regulations. However, the introduction of pre-recorded events like large group lectures or group speaker events and interviews along with the introduction of multiple online resources such as zoom, webex, etc have made the research process more streamlined, and better organized. Our experience from the FYRE project has been valuable for us, as we learned to communicate and interview both student and faculty researchers, and to work within an online environment. During the course of this pandemic, our group has been able to improve virtual communication, a skill that was not as prominent before the pandemic. These new skills and techniques along with the new tools we have at our disposal will allow us to adapt, be more versatile in the face of challenges, and succeed in our future careers and professions.
Authors: Dillon Horvath, Connor Powell, Sydney Fingerhood, Collin Quinn
Faculty Advisor: Joyce Fernandes, Biology
Graduate Student Advisor: Ally Tamez, Educational Leadership
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