Cochise College is making use of a grant funded by the National Science Foundation to help students gain experience in local field research.
“Historically students wouldn’t really start getting involved in research until later in their undergrad or even graduate studies,” said Edmund Priddis, Science Department Chair for Cochise College.
Priddis founded the Cochise College Undergraduate Research Club. The club is partially funded through the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative (CCURI), which helps community colleges overcome the unique barriers that have prevented community college students from participating in hands-on research.
Even more, this initiative is creating and sustaining a national network of community colleges committed to bringing the undergraduate research experience into the biology curriculum. The innovation helps approximately 45% of all U.S. undergraduates, including underrepresented groups and students who are the first generation of their family to attend college.
“Some of the things students gain is understanding the connections between what is learned in class and how it is applied in real life. Plus, they gain skills in recognizing questions that can be answered through research and doing the work to set up research and complete it. They get to begin thinking like a scientist, not a student,” said Priddis. “The research shows that the sooner students get involved in research the better. They are more likely to stay in their major and also absorb the material better.”
The club consists of a small gathering of students who have a passion for science. They have been trekking up and down the Sonora River, and two local animal reserves by Douglas, Arizona, for over a year.
One of the club’s research projects, called the Wildlife Research Project, takes advantage of Cochise County’s diverse landscapes. Southeastern Arizona is known to be one of the most biodiverse areas in the United States. Four major deserts and an assortment of mountain ranges scattered throughout the countryside makes Cochise County a unique environment for students observe and learn from.
Equipped with high output covert infrared detecting camera traps, students peek into the natural habitats of animals. Cameras are positioned by rivers and trees and set to observe and record the assortment of wildlife.
Students, accompanied by their instructors, travel around the county every one or two months to check the footage of each camera. The data is then cataloged by date in one of the Cochise College science labs. Pictures are named, sorted and analyzed utilizing computer programs. Over twenty mammal species were analyzed in the study so far.
The group of science students are hoping to extend their research by taking a trip down to Mexico in order to collect more data from the other side of the border. The students will attempt to better understand how the southern border has affected the movements of species, especially in areas where a border wall is in place.
“It’s one of our big questions. How is the border affecting the wildlife in the area?” said Priddis. “Right now, we are trying to communicate with a group down in Mexico to set up some cameras on the other side of the border so we have data to compare,” Priddis explained.
Marie Sckaff, biology students and president of the Undergraduate Research Club, said this is her third semester participating in undergraduate research projects.
“It’s just a great opportunity, especially being in the field and collecting data because I wasn’t expecting to do anything like that. So we would actually go to the river and set up the cameras and see all those animals. It was just very interesting. I’m very excited to continue on with the research,” Sckaff said.
Results from the study are distributed and used to refine the model for integrating undergraduate research at other community colleges.
The Undergraduate Research Initiative began when Finger Lakes Community College, located near Rochester, New York, sought to start providing field research to students attending community colleges. The college pursued a grant through the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative was created using the funds granted by the NSF. Afterward, the college reached out to additional community colleges, including Cochise College, to help take advantage of this educational movement.