Molecular Parasitology
Swati Agrawal, University of Mary Washington
In Spring 2021, we piloted a mini-CURE where student groups from University of Mary Washington and Georgia State University collaboratively completed research projects as part of a research-intensive course on Molecular Parasitology. The benefits of this approach were immediately obvious as students interacted across institutions, learned from each other's disciplinary expertise while informing their own research with data collected by their collaborators.

Organismal Form and Function Lab
Christopher Oufiero, Towson University
Invertebrates use movement of their bodies and structures in diverse ways to interact with their environment. This includes general locomotion (e.g., walking, jumping, flying) to specific forms of locomotion (e.g., gliding on water), using limbs to acquire food (e.g., raptorial forelegs in the praying mantis) and using structures to communicate (e.g., cricket calls). These movements have been the focus of bioinspiration studies to understand how these small organisms, with compact nervous systems, are able to achieve their movements. Given the diversity of invertebrates and the lack of information on the variation in their movements, the goals of this course are to understand the variation in invertebrate movement and explore the factors that may affect that variation. In this course, students have the opportunity to develop and test their own research hypotheses associated with variation in the movement of invertebrates. Using high-speed cameras, students are instructed on filming techniques to quantify animal movement, the use of the R programming language to obtain basic kinematics of movement and analyze their data, and the process of science from hypothesis formation to presentation of results. Research questions change each iteration based upon the hypotheses students develop, but the same instructional material and skillsets (e.g., quantifying animal movement) are consistently used. Results from each student group are presented during a departmental wide poster symposium and can be written up for publication, where applicable.

Biomass conversion into highly useful chemicals
SAPNA JAIN, Alabama State University
This is CURE based course that aims at bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge in chemistry and its practical applications at solving real-world problems. It gives students an opportunity to construct and synthesize their knowledge and skills by learning to apply theoretical knowledge to practice by the laboratory research. The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the fundamental concepts of chemistry, synthetic methods and techniques. The emphasis will be on novel catalysts synthesis and evaluating their activity towards biomass conversion to liquid fuel and useful chemicals. Students will design synthesize, deduce identities of the biomass conversion products from chemical and spectral clues, and predict reaction products.

U-CARE: Undergraduate Coral Aquarium Research Experience
Matthew Partin, Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
After completing their gateway biology courses (sophomore or junior year) marine biology students at BGSU enroll in a required Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) called BIOL 3700: Introduction to Inland Marine Research. This course teaches advanced aquarium husbandry, along with aquarium sciences, and aquarium research methods. Other skills taught in the class include scientific design, data collection, and analysis. A large portion of the course is dedicated to conducting research with coral fragments housed in the BGSU Marine Lab. Students work in small groups to answer questions concerning the morphology and growth rates of a variety of coral species based on variables such as water flow (pattern or intensity), light (cycle, color, or intensity), or diet (food type, frequency, or amount). Results are uploaded to a public database to address the long-term goal of predictably inducing corals to spawn in aquaria. Data is shared publically with interested stakeholders.All students in the CURE course are assigned a peer research Learning Assistant (rLA) to serve as a mentor. rLAs are undergraduates who have previously performed well in the course and have advanced knowledge of the Marine Lab, coral husbandry, and the research process. Each rLA oversees 1 group of 5 students. Students meet with the rLAs and instructor weekly. The instructor meets with the rLAs for weekly husbandry and pedagogy training, as well as discussing progress and needs in the CURE research projects.

Exploring the Structure-Function Relationship in RNA Biochemistry

MCC: Malate Dehydrogenase CUREs Community
Ellis Bell, University of San Diego
The Malate Dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC) project is designed to facilitate the adoption of effective, protein‐centric, Course Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) into teaching labs at a wide variety of undergraduate serving institutions. (Primarily Undergraduate Institutions, Research Intensive Universities and Community Colleges) MCC coordinates and conducts pedagogical research into two major features of CUREs:1) their duration (whole semester versus 5‐6 week modules incorporated into a lab class), and 2) the impact of scientific collaboration between institutions (a key aspect of much modern research). Using validated assessment tools we seek to establish their effects on student confidence, persistence in STEM, and ability to design research experiments and interprete data. To facilitate faculty adoption of CURE approaches the project provides a number of resources. These focus on a variety of research areas related to Malate Dehydrogenase including mechanisms of catalysis and regulation, adaptation and evolution, cofactor specificity, folding and stability and interactions in metabolons. Resources include biologics, experimental protocols and assessment tools. The project also coordinates interactions between courses at different institutions to allow incorporation of scientific collaboration into CUREs. These collaborations also facilitate the use of more sophisticated experimental approaches and broaden the experimental scope of the CUREs.

Histology CURE Lab in Breast Cancer
Aylin Marz, Norfolk State University

Global Change Microbiology
Luciana Santoferrara, Hofstra University
The dramatic impacts of human activities on Earth have catapulted the development of new disciplines across the sciences, humanities, and more. Studying the basis, challenges and responses to the global changes our planet and the human society face has become urgent. In the Global Change Microbiology CURE, students develop semester-long research projects focused on microbial communities and their relationship with a local environmental problem. Students: 1) develop research questions and conduct both field and wet lab work to estimate environmental, cell count and DNA-based diversity metrics; 2) receive training in bioinformatics, data analysis and result presentation; and 3) discuss literature on the interplay between microbes and environmental issues (e.g., global warming, ocean acidification, deoxygenation of coastal waters), the impacts of global changes on microbe-host interactions (e.g., coral bleaching, spreading of infectious diseases) and microbial applications (e.g., bioremediation, waste management). We examine key players in the whole spectrum of microorganisms (from viruses to microscopic animals), with emphasis on often overlooked protists that influence biogeochemical cycles, ecological functioning and host wellbeing.

Comparative discharge characterization of button-cell batteries in an introductory physics CURE
Patrick Greene, St. Mary's University
This Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) engages students in an algebra-based introductory physics laboratory in a year-long investigation of the discharge behavior of commercial button-cell batteries. Working in teams, students construct simple DC circuits, collect time-resolved voltage and current data under controlled resistive loads, and analyze discharge curves to characterize battery performance, variability, and uncertainty across brands and experimental conditions.The project is designed for students with no prior electronics experience. Instruction in circuit construction, Ohm's law, computer-based data acquisition, and uncertainty analysis is embedded directly into laboratory time. A shared baseline protocol enables replication across multiple lab sections, while later extensions allow students to explore variations in load resistance, cutoff criteria, and performance metrics such as delivered energy and charge capacity.Iteration and protocol refinement are central features of the CURE, including explicit treatment of outliers, data rejection, and method revision informed by background research. Data are aggregated across semesters, enabling longitudinal analysis and reinforcing the cumulative nature of scientific research. The CURE scales across multiple sections and is well suited for life science and pre-health majors.

Biochemistry II lab: Crithidia parasite metabolism
Amy Greene, Albright College
Course Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have been shown to increase student engagement, skills, and retention in STEM. We developed a CURE using non-pathogenic Crithidia fasciculata parasites, which are insect trypanosomes related to the causative agents of Leishmaniasis, African Trypanosomiasis, and Chagas' diseases. This parasite is ideal for undergraduate CUREs because it grows to high density in serum-free inexpensive media, and has not been well studied in the literature, providing opportunities for novel discoveries. Metabolically labelled 1-13C-glucose was added to the parasites, and changes in peak position was monitored over time (either in real time, or in the supernatant). The main fermentation products observed were ethanol and succinate. Student groups then designed a novel project investigating metabolism in Crithidia. Students produced novel data on metabolism in a little-studied parasite.