Community Flood Risk Assessment from Rising/Surging Seas Project
Kevin Kupietz, Elizabeth City State University
Globally 634 million people, 10% of the world's population, live in coastal areas less than 10 meters above sea level. According to 2010 census data, 123 million people, 39% of the United States population, live in coastal counties with an estimated increase to this number by 8% in the 2020 census. As natural disasters have been seen to increase in frequency and severity in the past five years coupled with expected sea rises from climate change it is important that anyone involved with the safety and resiliency planning of their organization/community have an understanding of how to scientifically assess risk from flooding in order to mitigate and recover from the effects. This project allows students the ability to develop skills to utilize computer modeling systems and to apply the data to real world communities in examining risk to structures as well as different groups in the community.

Race & Incarceration in The USA Overtime: Analysis of Trends & Forecast
Shyamal Das, Elizabeth City State University
The course in Race and Ethnic Relations examines the evolving nature of America's social and cultural diversity in terms of different race and ethnic groups (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, and American-Indians), and the issues of racial prejudice, hatred, and discrimination in the country. In so doing, students complete the final paper based on research on the relationship between race and incarceration. The research utilizes arrest data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics website. Students derive the research questions and corresponding hypotheses based on their review of literature. Based on their data analysis, they attempt to explain or interpret the arrest data on the relationship between race and the arrest rates by types of crimes. There two steps: (1) individuals complete data gathering and analysis as well as interpretation in the first place; and (2) groups will be formed by at least three students in each. The groups will prepare the final group paper and present the findings in the class. The current assignment illustrates on the Step 1 of the final project. Each student will select an assigned crime type (see the Assignment Topics) from the Bureau of Justice Statistics database, and run the graphs to show the trends by race. Assess whether students can explain the arrest rates by race. Then each student runs another analysis to forecast the arrest rates for the coming ten to fifteen years. The final group outcomes will be presented in the class. The proposed CURE incorporates a STEM component into social science as students run forecasting models for an important social problem in the USA.

Heart-Rate Variability, Apps, Wearables, and Stress
Martin Shapiro, California State University-Fresno
Psychophysiology is the sub-discipline in neuroscience that looks at human physiological responses (e.g., heart rate or brainwaves) that correlate with behavior. This type of research is typically conducted in a highly controlled laboratory with precise and expensive equipment. My goal is to create experiments that students can conduct with relatively inexpensive monitoring devices that connect to apps on tablets and phones in real-world situations. There are several devices that connect to apps that monitor physiology related to exercise, stress, sleep patterns, and attention. These are referred to as 'wearables' are currently a multibillion-dollar industry. With the exception of a few studies, there has been little work on the efficacy of these devices. One physiological biomarker for stress and attention is heart rate and heart-rate variability (HRV). I would like, as a class, for us to develop testable hypotheses and conduct research investigating wearables for HRV and stress.

Brain Mapping of Psychiatric Disorders
Chris Miller, California State University-Fresno
This course will introduce students to the neuroscience of psychiatric disorders by guiding them through the process of conducting a meta-analysis of fMRI studies of a particular psychiatric disorder of their choice.

Mixed Methods Social Science Research on Student Perseverance in STEM Education
Aaron Montoya, Adams State University; Rena Kirkland, Adams State University
This capstone research experience is designed for psychology and teacher education students to contribute to the CURE's and peer mentoring initiative based on the grant funded by the NSF. Students will develop their knowledge and skills in the research process as well as contribute to examining research questions relating to the efficacy of the CURE's and peer-mentoring program.

Support for medically vulnerable rural communities amidst COVID-19
Andre Stevenson, Elizabeth City State University
Individuals living with preexisting conditions often depend on community-based, supportive services to maintain their quality of life. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, access to these services has been disrupted or discontinued for many clients, due to mitigation efforts that aim to stem the spread of the virus. Agency closures and reduced service capacity, have an especially detrimental impact on rural communities, where fewer alternative mechanisms of institutional support and care exist. Students will assist with administering surveys to clients in order to better understand their experiences in areas including mental health, household needs, exposure to COVID-19, working conditions, and health management.

Research in Agriculture
Chantel Simpson, North Carolina A & T State University; Chastity Warren English, North Carolina A & T State University
Explores research methods in agriculture including observational, correlational, survey and experimental methods. Uses the scientific method in the design, execution, analysis, and communication of agricultural investigations. Discusses the ethics of research, and evaluation methods. Students will be offered the opportunity to conduct agricultural studies using a variety of methods.

Secondary Data Analysis to Explore Health Equity in a Psychological Framework
Anna Lee, North Carolina A & T State University
This class will provide students with the opportunity to conduct a research project to examine psycho-social factors related to health equity in North Carolina communities. Students will work in small groups to pose a novel question, analyze data using a publicly available dataset. and report findings. Over arching course goals are to write a complete APA formatted research report, to conduct a secondary data analysis, and to present findings.

Beyond the acronym: Employing data science to improve engagement in STEM
Pamela Reynolds, University of California-Davis
Forbes magazine ranked UC Davis as the "best value college for women in STEM." Let's investigate why, together! In this hands-on Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), you will leverage computational tools and methodologies to explore, analyze and design solutions to maximize discoverability and engagement with STEM offerings right here at UC Davis. Community-based tools like the UC Davis STEM portal help students and members of the broader community discover and connect with opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math. How do we define STEM, and how do people interface with the diversity of offerings at our university? Through this seminar you will learn about web scraping, text mining, natural language processing, and user interface design as you work on projects to optimize search functionality and increase content management automation for the Portal, which serves as a single point of entry for catalogued information related to STEM initiatives, clubs, programs and events on campus. This research will be used to improve the discoverability and accessibility of our university's resources, and identify new opportunities for multidisciplinary research and engagement with STEM. The data we collect and workflows designed in this class will contribute to research in the digital humanities and philosophy of science regarding the shape of the discourse surrounding STEM in academia. It will also have a direct application in helping our students and broader community discover new resources and opportunities. Students will be required to work both individually and collaboratively in groups, and to share their learning with each other. This class is open to first-year freshman and transfer students from all majors. You do not need to be a computer scientist to be successful in this course, but you should be comfortable using a computer and have prior exposure to programming (R, Python, etc.). Your instructor team is looking forward to supporting your learning and engagement with research in this class!

Introduction to GIS using CURE
Elizabeth Bollen, Adams State University; Chayan Lahiri, Adams State University
Geographic information systems (GIS) are used in many capacities across every discipline to help communities, governments, and businesses make informed decisions. This Introduction to GIS CURE course aims to assist local ranches by locating sampling sites for watershed analyses. Students in this GIS course will develop skills manipulating data by learning GIS software. The students themselves are tasked with identifying sampling site criteria for the broader study, which will assist other student researchers in locating scientifically viable, safe, and accessible sampling sites for watershed sample collection. Students in this course will also use knowledge gained in prior classes to make and defend decisions. Written reports, figure drafting, and group discussions will help students learn how to clearly and effectively communicate their findings and results. The knowledge and skills students' gain in this course will be used in future classes and are highly sought after by employers.