Interdisciplinary CURE Studying Protein Aggregation with Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy Promotes Student Scientific Self-Efficacy and Sense of Belonging

Research experiences are a powerful means of engaging students and a critical component of education in STEM fields. However, at large universities, the number of STEM undergraduate students greatly outnumbers the positions available in faculty research laboratories. Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) provide research experiences for larger numbers of students and have been shown to support recruitment and retention of diverse student populations in STEM majors. Here, we describe a new CURE developed for first-year and transfer students to study protein aggregation with single-molecule, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (the technique recognized by the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) is a powerful tool for characterizing the growth and structures of protein aggregates associated with human disease. The CURE is highly interdisciplinary, combining biological and chemical wet-lab work with the chemistry and physics of single-molecule, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and image-processing and analysis on the computer. Assessments of the CURE indicate that it (1) provides students with authentic research experiences of collaboration, discovery and relevance, and iteration, (2) improves factors such as scientific self-efficacy and sense of belonging that have been linked to improved student outcomes and persistence in STEM majors, and (3) contributes to personal student gains in the context of science. The CURE can be adapted to the study of any aggregation-prone proteins, enabling future adoptions and collaborations.