Turning undergraduate research assistants into scientific researchers: A wooden-block based method

Introduction: In addition to limited funding, one of the limitations of scientific research in developing countries with a small population, such as Costa Rica, is the lack of human resource with the expertise needed to tackle research challenges. This is particularly the case for emerging fields such as Medical Physics. At the University of Costa Rica (UCR), much of the support to research projects comes from undergraduate students. The main challenge for the principal investigators (PI) is to train these undergraduates to be able to develop not only their assigned tasks, but also their critical thinking skills and knowledge of the field, in order to contribute meaningfully to the research. [1] This work presents the experiences of the Computational Medical Physics Laboratory (FIMEC, Laboratorio de Física Médica Computacional) in training undergraduate students (sophomore and up) for advanced scientific research using innovative educational resources and experiences. All research conducted at FIMEC requires knowledge of graduate level topics and methods in Medical Physics, particularly for the development of Monte Carlo simulations of radiation transport. Methods: Incoming students undergo an induction training including the reading of textbook chapters, scientific articles and theses, with topics in basic concepts on radiation physics, statistics, and anatomy fundamentals. Students undergo a series of tutorials on the computer languages to be used as part of their work (C++, Fortran and others). The training activities are organized in a sequence of increasing difficulty by the PI, to allow the gradual development of skills and knowledge in the students according to their research topic. The students meet regularly with the PI to present their progress and discuss their work. Scientific discussions are aided with the use of educational materials, such as wooden blocks, anatomical models, and board games. These educational materials have been selected to help illustrate and discuss topics related to Monte Carlo modeling. The materials are also used in the design of experiments and the discussion of results. All students are given a laboratory book in which to keep their notes from meetings and their individual work. All exiting students are required to provide documentation on their work, including code manuals, usage guides and a summary of their results. Results and discussion: Since this methodology was implemented at FIMEC in early 2019, 9 undergraduate students have been involved with the laboratory. Three of those students have submitted original work to an international peer-reviewed conference during 2019. Two of those abstracts were derived from work started in 2018 and one of the abstracts was proposed by students who started working at FIMEC in 2019. Two new internal research grants were submitted to UCR for 2020 based on the preliminary work of two other students. In all these works the students involved participated actively in the experiment design, development of software, analysis of results and submission process. In our experience, the use of wooden blocks has resulted to be particularly useful in the discussion of simulation geometries and the analysis of results, as it helps convey ideas both from and to the students in a direct and unequivocal fashion. The remaining students are currently at different stages of their initial training. Conclusions: The implementation of a learning environment where students undergo a series of organized learning activities allows undergraduate students to obtain a minimum of necessary knowledge to become active participants in scientific research. The use of educational materials as aids in the discussion of abstract technical concepts and experimental design facilitates the transference of ideas between the PI and the students and provides a way in which students can convey their own ideas.