(700-08) Publishing Plant Biology Research While at a PUI: One Route to Success via CUREs, Strategic Collaborations, and Effective Time-Management Practices
Associate Professor Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana
Body of Abstract: Maintaining research productivity while being employed at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) can be extremely challenging. While many PUI faculty take great joy in helping to lay the groundwork for a student’s scientific career, heavy teaching loads, high institutional service responsibilities, and lack of funding opportunities often get in way of establishing and sustaining an active research program at a PUI. In this poster presentation, I describe one route to success that I have personally had through strategic research collaborations and by incorporating course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) into my classes. Furthermore, I highlight several time management approaches to prioritizing grant writing (specifically with PUI-specific grants in mind), while juggling other faculty responsibilities and still maintaining a good work-life balance. Through these techniques, along with several collaborations (at institutional, local, and international levels) and by incorporating my research passion and projects into multiple courses that I teach, since joining the tenure-track faculty in 2017 at Valparaiso University, I have published 17 peer-reviewed journal articles related to the topics of medicinal phytochemistry and agricultural biotechnology. While there are many routes to publishing plant biology work with undergraduates, this poster outlines one path to maintaining a robust research program as a PUI faculty member. This presentation is especially relevant for early career scientists who are interested in learning more about what it’s like to hold a tenure-track position at a primarily undergraduate institution.