Effectiveness of a network Open House model to recruit trainees to post-baccalaureate STEM programs

(up to 7): post-baccalaureate, open house, underrepresented, diversity, recruitment, STEM, minority 46 47 .CC-BY-NC 4.0 International licenseavailable under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint

48 Post-baccalaureate ( post-bac) programs can have a positive impact on science training and STEM career 49 opportunities for junior trainees. A goal for many of these sponsored programs is to increase research exposure 50 for underrepresented minorities, a group that can include African American, Hispanic, Native American, and first-51 generation college students, a mong others. Recruiting underrepresented minorities to post -bac programs can 52 be challenging, for reasons that include a lack of available resear ch opportunities, time to pursue these 53 experiences, and awareness of available programs. To this end, an Open House event was created to inform 54 and excite potential students for future post -bac programs. Students were recruited from partnering Minority 55 Serving Institutions (MSIs) to attend a two -day event at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) and a 56 research- intensive R1 institution. The students visited both campuses, were informed about post-bac programs 57 and potential research opportunities, and met with faculty, current graduate students, and a f ormer post-bac 58 scholar. Transportation, lodging, and meals were provided. Visiting students completed voluntary pre- and post-59 surveys. Results indicated that attendees, the majority of whom were underrepresented minorities in STEM, left 60 the event with an increased understanding about post-bac programs and their benefits to a career in STEM and 61 that their attendance at the event made it more likely they would apply to available post -bac programs. Thus, 62 this work demonstrates that in-person events involving integrative partnerships across multiple universities are 63 effective strategies for increasing awareness of opportunities available to students post -graduation and for 64 recruiting underrepresented groups in STEM to post-bac programs. 65 66

67 Starting a career in science depends on extensive hands -on experience. For many, laboratory research 68 experience begins in their high school or undergraduate education, but for others, obligations outside the 69 classroom prevent them from experiencing bench research firsthand. This challenge is often observed with 70 students who identify as underrepresented minorities in science or have come through a community college 71 system (1, 2), and it can limit individuals belonging to these groups from obtaining lab research experience 72 necessary for graduate programs or employment in STEM careers . For example, graduate schools look for 73 meaningful research experience in their candidates. In many programs, matriculating g raduate students are 74 years past their undergraduate education (3), giving them time to obtain relevant research experience that they 75 might not have had the opportunity to pursue while working towards their bachelor’s degree. Developing 76 opportunities for students to gain experience after their undergraduate training is central to recruiting a diverse, 77 balanced population to the STEM workforce, but many of those who would benefit most from these opportunities 78 may be unaware of their existence or benefits. 79 80 Post-baccalaureate programs are one to two-year funded, research-intensive training experiences designed to 81 prepare trainees for graduate school and STEM careers. Some of these programs have been active for several 82 years. For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program 83 (PREP) program is in its third decade and supports post-bac trainees at a variety of research institutions across 84 the country (4). This program has evolved new strategies to promote readiness for STEM graduate school (5, 6) 85 and is incredibly successful. Currently, 65-97% of PREP scholars enter graduate school programs , and Ph.D. 86 completion rates are > 65% above the rates reported for underrepresented groups in the life sciences (6-8). The 87 American Cancer Society (ACS) and National Science Foundation (NSF) have recently developed post -bac 88 programs with similar structural model s (9, 10). All these programs recognize the need to support research 89 experiences for underrepresented minorities in sci ence. A funded research experience outside of schooling 90 promises more opportunity to recruit a breadth of students from a wide demographic , but a challenge faced by 91 post-bac programs is how to reach trainees who may not be familiar with the benefits of these programs or who 92 are disconnected from pathways that lead to a successful STEM career. 93 94 An Open House event invites candidate trainees on site to introduce a program and present op portunities 95 available to them. These events are flexible by design and can be impactful well past the traditional K-12 use of 96 such events. Targeted, personal Open House-like events can be helpful in recruiting individuals from specific 97 demographics, like those who identify as female and African Americans (11) . Students considering various 98 undergraduate programs also have identified Open House events as an effective recruiting tool (12). Universities 99 note that Open House events are a chance to present a positive image to visitors (13). Open Houses are a 100 chance for real human connection, which can showcase the advantages of an educational program to groups of 101 people missed through other advertising campaigns. 102 103 .CC-BY-NC 4.0 International licenseavailable under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint In this study, an Open House event was developed to introduce the benefits of post -bac programs, with an 104 emphasis on reaching students from groups underrepresented in the biological sciences (14) with little previous 105 research experience. Faculty and students from research -intensive R1s, primarily undergraduate institutions 106 (PUIs), and minority serving institutions ( MSIs) that form collaborative research networks are effective in 107 undergraduate biology training (15) , and personalized referrals are among the most effective strategies for 108 recruiting students from underrepresented minority groups to STEM graduate school (11) . In consideration of 109 these factors, an event was crafted that leveraged the strengths of faculty partnerships across a network of MSI, 110 PUI, and R1 institutions. The effort created an experience that reached a cohort of students from 111 underrepresented minority groups in science and presented post-bac programs as a viable steppingstone for a 112 STEM career. This strategy can be modified to present the strengths of any university, training program, or 113 geographical area. Thus, STEM training programs may consider hosting similar events to increase the diversity 114 of their applicant cohort. 115 116

117 Open House Event and Survey Format 118 Recruitment for the Open House was performed through advertising and word of mouth. The advertising flyer 119 was created in Canva ( Canva, Sydney, Australia; www.canva.com), which contained a QR code linked to a 120 Google Form (Google; Mountain View, CA; www.google.com) for registration. Students were selected on a first 121 come, first serve basis. Partnering MSIs were given first access to registration, followed by students at the 122 hosting institutions. In total, 17 students were recruited to the event, with 15 attending on both days. Students 123 and faculty from their home institutions were responsible for arranging travel to Indianapolis, IN. Hotels were 124 reserved through Butler University, the primary hosting institution. 125 126 Day 1. Students and faculty arrived at Butler University, a PUI in Indianapolis, IN. Prior to scheduled events (Fig 127 S1), students completed an anonymous pre -survey ( Supplemental Information 1) , approved by a Butler 128 University IRB ( Approval date: Sept. 18, 2023) and administered by Qualtrics (Qualtrics; Provo, UT ), taking 129 approximately 10 -15 minutes to complete. This survey requested information regarding the participant’s 130 demographics, science experiences, and familiarity with and interest in post-bac programs. A total of 17 students 131 completed the pre-survey. Students then learned of the opportunities for post -bacs and those with science 132 graduate degrees ( e.g., M.S., Ph.D.), research opportunities at local PUI s, and resources available at Butler 133 University. A tour of the Butler University campus was made available for those interested. Visiting students and 134 faculty then were taken to dinner with faculty interested in hosting post -bacs and with graduate students from 135 the Indiana University School of Medicine, an R1 Research Institution. Visiting faculty and students stayed at a 136 local hotel sponsored by the program. 137 138 Day 2. Students and faculty visited Indiana University School of Medicine; Indianapolis, IN (Fig S1). They were 139 given an overview of an established post -bac program ( https://iprep.iupui.edu/index.html) and research at 140 Indiana University and interacted with a graduate student panel assembled by the local chapter of the Society 141 for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). Tours of the Centers 142 of Electron Microscopy and Proteome Analysis facilities were given. A sponsored lunch was provided with Indiana 143 University School of Medicine faculty members and graduate students. Visiting students were prompted to 144 complete a Qualtrics exit survey consisting of the similar questions regarding post-bac programs (Supplemental 145 Information 2). A total of 13 students completed this exit survey. 146 147 Data Analysis 148 Anonymized pre- and post -event survey data were aggregated separately and analyzed for statistical 149 significance in GraphPad Prism version 10.1.1 for MacOS (GraphPad Software, Boston, Massachusetts USA). 150 Figure 1A and B data were analyzed using a Mann Whitney U test to compare pre- and post-survey Likert score 151 means converted to a 1 -5 scale. Figure 1C data were analyzed using a One Sample Sign Test (One sample t 152 and Wilcoxon test in Prism) with 3.0 “neither” at the middle of the 1-5 Likert scale set as the theoretical mean 153 value. Figures were also made using Prism and Adobe® Illustrator® (Adobe, San Jose, CA). Qualtrics data for 154 all survey questions are included in the Supplemental Information 1 and 2. 155 156

157 The goal this project was to develop an event that could recruit applicants from a range of backgrounds to post 158 baccalaureate programs. To this end, an Open House was created to advertise a potential post-bac program to 159 .CC-BY-NC 4.0 International licenseavailable under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint students in Indiana and the Chicago area. Partnerships were first established between three Indianapolis area 160 PUIs that are proximal to a centrally located R1 institution. Next, additional partnerships were formed with four 161 MSIs in the Northern Indiana/Chicago area. Faculty at these MSIs interact regularly with many students from 162 underrepresented groups, as defined by both the NIH (16) and NSF (17). Each MSI had a faculty contact who 163 facilitated event advertising and chaperoned students to the Open House. A full schedule of talks and social 164 events were planned (Fig S1) and held at Butler University and Indiana University School of Medicine. Students 165 learned about scientific research and professional opportunities for those entering post-bac programs and STEM 166 careers. Discussion forums and meals were included, which allowed visiting students to discuss post -bac 167 programs and graduate school with R1 graduate students from SACNAS and with faculty from PUI and R1 168 institutions. 169 170 Voluntary, anonymous pre- and post-surveys were administered at the beginning and ending of the Open House. 171 The pre- survey solicited demographic information of the students attending the event ( Supplementary 172 Information 1). Information was collected regarding age, year in school, sexuality, gender, disability, military 173 service, education, science exposure, career goals, and the attendees’ knowledge of the concept of and 174 opportunities available in post-bac programs. All results are provided for those who responded (Supplementary 175 Information 1). Of note, 76.2% of total pre-survey respondents identified as an underrepresented racial/ethnic 176 minority, including Black/ African American (33.3%), Hispanic /Latinx/a/o/e (38.1%) , or Indigenous/American 177 Indian or Alaskan Native (4.8%). Additionally, 17.6% of respondents indicated they had a disability according to 178 the NIH/NSF definition (16-19). Only 18.8% reported having a family member in the household with a 4-year 179 degree or higher. While most respondents (94.1%) reported pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in science, less than 180 half (47.1%) could identify a science role model. A similar percentage (57.1%) reported that they did not pursue 181 independent research in their undergraduate education, either because it was not available or because they 182 chose not to participate. The responses indicated that limited time due to work or personal obligations (32.1%) 183 and access to knowledge regarding research activities (25.0%) were both significant factors in deciding whether 184 to pursue undergraduate research. In sum, the students recruited to this Open House were members of groups 185 typically underrepresented in science with limited exposure to science research. 186 187 Analysis of pre - and post-survey data indicat ed that the attending students learned about and had a positive 188 impression of the post-bac program. Responses showed that students gained a statistically significantly 189 improvement in their understanding of post-bac training programs and what they entail after attending the Open 190 House (Fig 1A; U (NPre=15, NPost=13) = 26.5, p = 0.0003). Students also expressed a strong interest in pursuing 191 a post-bac opportunity (Fig 1B). Although the pre- to post-survey gains were not statistically significant for this 192 question [(U (NPre=15, NPost=13) = 71, p = 0.192], this is likely due to both small sample sizes and the high number 193 of students “agreeing” with the statement despite not being very familiar with post -bac programs in the pre-194 survey. Nevertheless, more students “strongly agreed” they were interested in pursuing a post-bac program in 195 the post-survey (MeanPre = 4.0; Mean Post = 5.0). The responses for the Open House event were universally 196 positive and indicated a statistically significant increase in the likelihood attendees would apply for a post -bac 197 program (Fig 1C) [one sample, t(df) = 10.65 (11); p < 0.0001]. The most positive experiences came from hearing 198 about the benefits of a post-bac program (75%), an overview of a model post -bac program (75%), and the 199 graduate student panel (83%). Anecdotally, student survey responders commented that “they definitely sold me 200 on (the location)…and all the programs offered,” that “the event was really informative,” and that the event “was 201 really fun and insightful. I found out more about post bac programs and the benefits.” While some students 202 commented in the pre- survey that they were worried about the “location away from home ”, “being at a 203 predominantly white institution”, and being unsure whether completing the post -bac program “would lead to 204 something”, none of these concerns appeared in post-survey responses. Thus, the Open House may have been 205 successful in addressing students’ concerns. In fact, one respondent in the post-survey stated, “That being away 206 from home and finding a new place to live and having to start out my own with this change is daunting but I’m 207 sure I’m capable of doing it.” In sum, the network-based Open House event delivered a positive experience and 208 was successful in informing students about the benefits of a post -bac program to pursuing future careers in 209 STEM. 210 211

212 Post-baccalaureate recruitment of underrepresented minorities can be challenging due to a lack of science 213 exposure and personalized interactions. To improve outreach to underserved populations in science, an open 214 house event was established to advertise post-bac programs to students from MSIs and surrounding universities. 215 .CC-BY-NC 4.0 International licenseavailable under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint Students visited the campuses of a PUI and an R1 institution, heard about post-bac programs and graduate 216 school, and had a chance to socialize with faculty and students. Pre- and post-surveys performed indicated that 217 many of the students who visited represented underserved minorities in science and that the Open House both 218 informed and left a positive impact on their impressions of post-bac programs. Hence, direct personalized events 219 leveraging the strengths of multiple institutions is a viable strategy to encourage trainees to pursue post -bac 220 opportunities. 221 222 MSI partnership to enhance science outreach and development is a well-established strategy. Personal referrals 223 are an effective means to recruit students to graduate programs (11). Furthermore, MSI partnerships have aided 224 in recruitment of underrepresented minorities in sciences into a physical sciences graduate program (20), and 225 encouraged participation in STEM research with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 226 (21). N ational programs like the Leadership Alliance, comprised of 32 institutions ranging from Ivy League 227 schools and R1s to MSIs , have been collaboratively mentoring underrepresented minority students from 228 undergraduate through graduate training for 3 0 years (22). Similarly, this Open House event relied heavily on 229 MSI faculty to recruit students through word of mouth and flyer distribution. MSI f aculty members also 230 accompanied their students to the two- day event. Personalized mentorship is known to enhance a student’s 231 STEM experience and decision to enter STEM careers (23). Thus, personalized experi ences, like invitations 232 from faculty at their own institutions to an Open House event, are likely to increase the likelihood that students 233 will apply to post-bac programs. 234 235 Improvements will further refine the effectiveness of the Open House. First, w hile MSI student participants 236 expressed many positive sentiments regarding their experience at the event, informal conversations with student 237 and faculty attendees indicated that they would like additional time to explore the local area, including housing 238 options and neighborhood information, as well as a more comprehensive overview of research departments and 239 areas, while also ensuring that research talks are as accessible as possible to a wide range of students. Second, 240 scheduling the Open House at a time that was mutually convenient for all institutions, each with their own unique 241 academic calendars, while also avoiding local hotel event conflicts, was challenging. Continued communication 242 and advance planning, as well as pairing the in-person event with virtual “office hours” and other campus visits 243 by post-bac program faculty and student representatives should minimize these challenges in the future. Third, 244 although advertising with the partnered MSIs was effective for recruiting Open House attendees, less effort was 245 placed on recruiting students in the area. Local students represent an additional, potentially high yield population 246 for a post-bac program, as they would not need extensive travel to attend the Open House , and some would 247 likely identify as an underserved minority in science. Thus, recruiting local students to post-bac programs may 248 be extremely fruitful, as they may be comfortable committing to a program in which they know the area, 249 universities, and faculty members involved. More effort should be placed to advertise such Open House events 250 to all students, near and far. Fourth, many students who attended the Open House event had already made 251 career choices. Many students were interested in clinical professions, with less than half citing research as their 252 career goal (Supplemental Information 1). Student mindset can change, but it may be advantageous to target 253 college students who are undecided or leaning toward a non-clinical STEM career, as these students will be the 254 strongest candidates for post-bac programs. Continued personalized invitations to such students from MSI, PUI, 255 and R1 faculty, along with providing additional STEM -career focused information to candidates, will likely be 256 most effective in achieving this goal (11). As designed, the Open House format permits flexibility for hosts to 257 reconfigure and emphasize strengths of their geographical area, research programs, and partners to recruit their 258 desired post-bac cohort. 259 260

261 Overall, this work provides evidence that having in- person Open House events is an effective way to inform 262 students, and particularly those from groups underrepresented in STEM, about post -bac programs. Post-bac 263 programs continue to gain traction because of their strengths in preparing students for graduate school. These 264 training opportunities are promising avenues to recruit talent from all walks of life into STEM careers. Virtual 265 “office” hours and flyer advertising on university boards or email are affordable and can be effective for the 266 student knowledgeable about the next steps in a STEM career. However, to recruit students unaware of the 267 possibilities in a science career, a more active recruitment process, such as an Open House event, may aid in 268 identifying talent outside of the normal cohort. This Open House model, which capitalized on the synergy of a 269 network of partner institutions (MSIs, PUIs, and RIs), is one method for successfully identifying post -bac 270 .CC-BY-NC 4.0 International licenseavailable under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint candidates from underrepresented groups and sharing with the m the benefits of participating in a post -bac 271 program as an integral step in their STEM career progression. 272 273 Acknowledgments. 274 The authors thank the students from partnering MSIs and hosting institutions for their attendance and 275 participation. They also thank Drs. Ann Kimble- Hill, Evan Cornett, Qiuyan Chen, Emma Doud, Yangshin Park; 276 Ms. Carmen Herrera-Sandoval, Moraima Noda; Mr. Rodney Claude, Derrick Gray, Miguel Barriera Diaz; and 277 SACNAS (Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM)), Center for Electron Microscopy (IUSM), and the 278 Center for Proteome Analysis (IUSM) for speaking about their science and available post-bac programs, as well 279 as Mr. Randall Ojeda and Ms. Mikala Lain (Butler Efroymson Diversity Center) for sharing diversity and inclusion 280 resources and Dr. Rob Denton (Marian University) for speaking about his science. Additional thanks go out to 281 Butler University and Indiana University School of Medicine for use of their facilities; faculty from Butler, Marian, 282 and Indiana Universities for attending the dinner and lunch; and the Aoki Lab for help with lunch set up and clean 283 up. Finally, the authors thank Dr. Andrew Stoehr (Butler University) for advice on statistical analysis. This project 284 was funded by the Butler University Provost’s Office. 285 286 Figure Legends 287 288 Figure 1. Effectiveness of an Open House event in educating and promoting post -baccalaureate 289 programs. (A, B) Pre- and post -event surveys of (A) student familiarity with post -baccalaureate training 290 programs and (B) student interest in participating in a post-baccalaureate training program (N = 15 pre; N = 13 291 post). (C) Post-survey responses regarding the impact of the Open House event on the likelihood of their future 292 application to a post-baccalaureate training program (N = 12). See Results text for statistical analysis. 293 294 Figure S1. Open House Agenda 295 296 Supplemental Information 1. Open House Pre-Survey Results 297 298 Supplemental Information 2 . Open House Post -Survey Results . 299 300 .CC-BY-NC 4.0 International licenseavailable under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint

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It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint A B C Familiarity with the post-baccalaureate training program? Very Unfamilar Unfamiliar NeitherFamilar Very Familar 0 20 40 60 80Response (%) Pre-Survey Post-Survey Strongly Disagree DisagreeNeitherAgree Strongly Agree 0 20 40 60 80 Interest in participating in a post-baccalaureate training program? Response (%) Pre-Survey Post-Survey Strongly Disagree DisagreeNeitherAgree Strongly Agree 0 20 40 60 80 Open House make it more likely that I apply to post-baccalaureate training programResponse (%) Post-Survey Figure 1.CC-BY-NC 4.0 International licenseavailable under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint Figure S1. Post-Baccalaureate Open House Agenda Day 1: Primary Undergraduate Institution (PUI) Time Activity 12:00p – 1:00p Lunch, pre-survey taking 1:00p – 1:10p Welcome and introductions, PUI 1:10p – 1:25p What to do with a science degree: A brief overview of graduate school and careers in STEM 1:25p – 1:35p Undergraduate vs. Graduate School and how Post-bac programs can bridge the gap 1:35p – 1:55p Life as a post-bac, previous post-bac turned graduate student 1:55p – 2:05p Break 2:05p – 2:20p Overview of a post-bac program: goals, design, student timeline 2:20p – 2:35p Example 1: PUI faculty research 2:35p – 2:50p Example 2: PUI faculty research 2:50p – 3:00p Break 3:00p – 3:30p Butler Campus tour - Labs/science area 3:30p – 4:00p Diversity resources 4:00p – 6:00p Break, check in to hotel 6:00p – 8:00p Dinner and Networking Reception *All PUI, MSI, RI, faculty & students invited Day 2: R1 Research Institution (R1) Time Activity 8:30a – 9:00a Coffee and baked goods 9:00a – 9:10a Welcome and introductions, IUSM 9:10a – 9:40a Getting from here to there: Benefits to a post-bac program and life as a post-bac in Indianapolis (faculty post-bac expert) 9:40a – 10:10a Graduate Student Panel, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS): Trainee life in Indianapolis and benefits to post-bac program 10:10a – 10:25a Break 10:25a – 10:40a Example 1: R1 faculty research 10:40a – 10:55a Example 2: R1 faculty research 10:55a – 11:05a Break 11:05a – 12:00p R1 Campus tour – Centers for Electron Microscopy and Proteomics 12:00p – 1:00p Thank you, Lunch, survey .CC-BY-NC 4.0 International licenseavailable under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted January 9, 2024. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.08.574670doi: bioRxiv preprint