چکیده (انگلیسی):

This article reports a case of incorporating a field-based ecological project as a resource into an
undergraduate research and scholarship (RS) intensive course. Student research projects were
conducted in an outdoor experimental compound with wetland mesocosms as well as in local
created wetlands to study soil organic matter content as part of an on-going research project that
focuses on the abilities of wetland in sequestering carbon. The course, designated as a RS
intensive course by the university in both biology and environmental science, was also newly
designed with a K-12 outreach component for training undergraduates in science education and
communication. The public presentation component required all participating undergraduates to
present and communicate their semester-long science project outcomes to and with K-12 students
invited from local middle and high schools at the end of the semester. This activity challenged the
students to review their study backgrounds, concepts, and results thoroughly to be able to explain
them to and answer a variety of questions from K-12 students. The activity seemed to enhance
research and scholarship experiences among the undergraduate students, being more effective
than presenting to their own peers in a classroom setting. The students also learned all major
steps in doing science, including exercises in literature review, building hypotheses, lab/fieldwork
and data analysis. The experience obtained and approach taken in the study may be considered
and adopted in reinforcing undergraduate RS experiences at other institutions and in other
disciplines.