The UNL Microbiology Program is an inter-college, inter-departmental undergraduate program that currently serves about 130 students at UNL. Students have a wide range of interests and career goals, including plant pathology. In addition to an advisory board and curriculum committee, academic programming to support students’ academic success and career preparation falls under the guidance of the Microbiology Program Director, Dr. Karrie Weber (School of Biological Sciences & Earth and Atmospheric Sciences), and the Academic Success Coordinator, Dr. Brandi Sigmon (Plant Pathology).
Key needs for students in the Microbiology program include earlier participation in experiential or hands-on learning and also building a sense of community and belonging for students.
To meet these needs, the Microbiology Achievement through Research and Valuable Experiential Learning, or MARVEL Program, started in 2021 with the goal of supporting the academic success and building community for undergraduate students in the Microbiology program at UNL. Currently, the MARVEL Program organizes two events a year including a workshop and the UNL Microbiology Research Symposium during each fall semester. These events are open to all Microbiology-affiliated faculty, staff, students, and alumni regardless of their departmental affiliations. However, participation in both of these events is required by the first- and second-year students enrolled in the MBIO 101 course. By participating in these events, students learn about the breadth of Microbiology as a discipline, connect with others in their interest areas, and begin to seek out research opportunities on campus.
We plan to develop a set of four rotating themes for the MARVEL workshop which will build a skill set for workshop participants as they come back each year. Currently we have developed and delivered workshops on the mentor/mentee relationship as well as networking activities and best practices. These themes were picked based on feedback from the UNL Microbiology community and current student needs. Future workshops will be developed to complement our existing workshops so Microbiology students will have a knowledge base and skill set to ensure a solid foundation as they prepare for their future careers or graduate programs.
