Scientific Outreach & Academic Service

UCSB EEMB Undergraduate Research Symposium Planning Committee

Logo for the EEMB-URS: a circle containing many animals and plants with the text EEMB URS 2024 at the top. Art by Bridget Vincent

I am so proud to be one of the founding members of the UC Santa Barbara’s Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology’s Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium (EEMB-URS, pronounced “embers”).

Since it’s start in 2021, this symposium has grown and developed so much, and I love seeing the undergraduate research community come together to celebrate their work, build connections, and develop critical skills in science communication.

Publication

In 2023, we published a roadmap to creating undergraduate research symposia, and conducted a study on how our symposium may increase the retention of students of Excluded Identities in STEM, in the journal Oceanography (Heard et al. 2023). Our resources for building an undergraduate research symposium can be found on this github link: https://github.com/madisonheard1/EEMBURS. Here, you can find our comprehensive handbook on how to build a symposium, survey questions (developed with the UCSB IRB), presentation judging rubrics, resources for students on abstract writing, and more!

Invited talks

I am excited to share our resources, findings, and journey with others who are interested in creating similar symposia, and was honored to give invited talks at the UCSB Inclusive Teaching Symposium and UC Berkeley’s Plant and Microbial Biology Department’s Seminar. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you are interested in learning more about our symposium and resources!

  • UC Berkeley PMB Student & Post-Doc Seminar (2024): “Excluded Identity Retention in STEM: A Roadmap for Inclusive Undergraduate Research Symposia” C.L. Nordheim-Maestas, M.P. Heard, C. McKinley, Z. Zilz, V.A. Jones, B.A. Vincent, and E.M. Caves

  • UC Santa Barbara Inclusive Teaching Symposium (2024): “Excluded Identity Retention in STEM: A Roadmap for Inclusive Undergraduate Research Symposia” C.L. Nordheim-Maestas, Z. Zilz, M.P. Heard, C. McKinley, V.A. Jones, B.A. Vincent, and E.M. Caves

Committee roles:

  • General Member: 2024 & 2025 Symposium
  • President: 2023 Symposium
  • Treasurer: 2022 Symposium

Resources for first-time presenters:

Outdoor poster session with lots of people presenting and discussing

Poster session at 2022 symposium

Auditorium with person speaking and a slide of the eemb-urs projected

Opening remarks at 2024 symposium

eight graduate students standing next to each other looking proud

2023 Symposium planning committee

Outreach Talks

  • Science by the Pint Outreach Talk: “Hopping Through Hard Times: The Life of Californian Frogs” (2025) C.L.Nordheim-Maestas & C. Mallory Draughtsman Aleworks

  • Brattleboro Union High School & Windham Regional Career Center Career Talk Presenter: “Exploring the World of Amphibian Disease Ecology: A Career in Saving Frogs” (2024) C.L. Nordheim-Maestas

  • UCSB FUERTE - Field-based Undergraduate Engagement through Research, Teaching, and Education Program (Invited Talk): “Exploring the Hidden World of Macroinvertebrates and the Frog-Killing Fungus” (2024) C.L. Nordheim-Maestas

  • Science by the Pint Outreach Talk: “Beyond the Pond: Exploring the Role of Aquatic Bugs in Frog Disease Risk” (2024) C.L. Nordheim-Maestas Draughtsman Aleworks

  • Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory UC California Ecology and Conservation Course Research and Career Panel Presenter (2023)

  • Science by the Pint Outreach Talk: “Amphibian Disease: the Not-So-Fun Fungus” (2023) C.L. Nordheim Draughtsman Aleworks

  • Science by the Pint Outreach Talk: “Frog Vaccine Development” (2022) C.L. Nordheim Night Lizard Brewing Co

  • Blue Oak Ranch Reserve UC California Ecology and Conservation Course Research and Career Panel Presenter (2021)

UCSB Departmental Service Roles

University of Pittsburgh Outreach & Service

References

Heard, Madison, Caitlin Nordheim, Cheyenne McKinley, Zoe Zilz, Victoria Jones, Bridget Vincent, and Eleanor Caves. 2023. “Excluded Identity Retention in STEM: A Roadmap for Inclusive Undergraduate Research Symposia.” Oceanography 36 (4). https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.116.