Transforming student projects into publishable research: a case study with 6 undergraduates and the EPA's national assessment of water quality

Undergraduate students in environmental and earth sciences face stiff competition for direct-entry jobs and graduate school fellowships. Most employers and advisers are looking for students with experience in research and project management, but providing these experiences at the undergraduate level is difficult in traditional classroom settings. One way of addressing this challenge is through experiential learning, where students learn by reflecting and doing the suite of tasks they will need for future employment. Here, we present the outcome of an experiential learning course where six undergraduates conceived and executed a national-level study of water quality. The instructor, students, and two external advisers developed the course design together, which evolved into a completely student-led model. Empowering the undergraduates to make substantive and risky decisions simultaneously increased student engagement and decreased instructor and adviser investment by eliminating busy work. For example, the undergraduates developed evaluation criteria for assigning grades and selected the scientific questions, datasets, and experimental approach. The students held the instructor and advisors accountable throughout the semester to provide research guidance and opportunities for networking and collaboration. We implemented machine learning techniques to identify drivers of nutrient concentration based on the EPA national assessment of water quality and additional spatial data the students extracted. Additionally, we used a novel ecohydrological framework to quantify the spatial scale of water quality drivers and the spatiotemporal stability of water chemistry parameters. While we recognize this model will not be directly transferable to all class sizes and course goals, we discuss how to integrate experiential learning into undergraduate curriculum. This approach can improve skill acquisition and depth of understanding with ancillary benefits of building professional networks and portfolios for students heading into research or other professional sectors.