The Gatsby Plant Science Summer School: Inspiring the Next Generation of Plant Science Researchers

We provide evidence from a 5-year study to show that a single concerted effort at the start of undergraduate study can have a clear and lasting effect on the attitudes of students toward plant science. Attendance at a week-long residential plant science summer school in the first year of an undergra...

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Published inThe Plant cell Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 1306 - 1315
Main Authors Levesley, Aurora, Jopson, Juliet, Knight, Celia
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Society of Plant Biologists 01.04.2012
Subjects
Attitude
attitudes and opinions
Biological sciences
Botany
Botany - education
Career Choice
Careers
College students
COMMENTARY
Curriculum
education
Female
Food security
Humans
Male
Plants
Research Personnel
Research Personnel - education
researchers
Schools
scientists
Seasons
Statistics as Topic
Student surveys
Students
summer
Summer schools
Sustainable agriculture
Undergraduate students
United Kingdom
Universities
United Kingdom
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Summary:We provide evidence from a 5-year study to show that a single concerted effort at the start of undergraduate study can have a clear and lasting effect on the attitudes of students toward plant science. Attendance at a week-long residential plant science summer school in the first year of an undergraduate degree resulted in many students changing courses to include more plant science and increased numbers of graduates selecting plant-based PhDs. The evidence shows that the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School has increased the pool of high-quality plant science related PhD applicants in the UK and has had a positive impact on students' career aspirations. The results are discussed within the context of enhancing the pipeline of future plant scientists and reversing the decline of this vulnerable and strategically important subject relevant to addressing food security and other major global challenges. We have shown that a single well-designed and timely intervention can influence future student behavior and as such offers a framework of potential use to other vulnerable disciplines.
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ISSN:1040-4651
1532-298X
1532-298X
DOI:10.1105/tpc.111.094326