Michelle Shardell, professor at the Institute for Genome Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, was the recipient of the section’s 2019 strategic initiatives grant, an effort funded annually to support projects developing innovative outreach to enhance awareness of biostatistics among quantitatively talented US students. Her project, “Introducing Biostatistics to Diverse Pathways in Technology Early College (P-TECH) Students Through Microbiome Data Analysis,” aimed to develop and deliver a module introducing the biostatistics field and techniques to analyze microbiome data to quantitatively talented students enrolled in the P-TECH program at Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Here, Shardell discusses the launch of the project and the challenges and progress made on the impact of biostatistics outreach amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

How It Started

Our original proposal was to host an in-person, hands-on quantitative activity for students enrolled in the P-TECH program at Dunbar High School in Baltimore, of which the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a partner. P-TECH is a national program where students earn a high-school diploma and two-year associate’s degree in a STEM field at no cost.

The project idea was to collaborate with microbiologist colleagues to build on an existing program in which approximately 30 P-TECH students come to the UMB campus to collect soil samples as part of a biology fieldwork experience. The samples are then used to generate soil microbiome data. This way, students can move from literally touching their data to performing simple data analysis as a palpable introduction to the biostatistics field.

How It’s Going

Once COVID-19 led to the cancelation of all in-person learning activities and a struggle for K–12 educators to cover their required curriculum—let alone enrichment activities—we needed a new plan. The first opportunity came in the summer of 2020 when the leaders of multiple University of Maryland School of Medicine summer enrichment programs that have historically focused on in-person laboratory experiences switched to a remote model focused on computational biology and bioinformatics content.

Given that these learners ranged from undergraduate students to medical students, we developed an activity to meet their needs. First, we introduced students to the role of biostatistics as the information science of biomedical and public health research. Next, to complement their exposure to biomedical research in the programs’ journal club, we introduced them to p-values and the debate on multiple comparisons, as well as introductory R programming. To reinforce the content, we developed a web-based digital “escape room.” The first three students who completed the escape room won e-gift cards and special recognition.

By the spring of 2021, when K–12 students and faculty had become virtual learning veterans, we were able to deliver a virtual introduction to biostatistics to sophomores enrolled in the P-TECH program. As in our first program, we initially introduced students to biostatistics as the information science of public health and biomedical research. For these learners, we focused more on the training and job sectors common to biostatisticians, as well as internship opportunities in the Baltimore/Washington, DC, area for high-school students interested in biostatistics. We also adapted the web-based digital escape room to emphasize the definitions, training, and careers relevant to biostatisticians (again with gift card prizes). Last, we connected with another program, the UMB Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) Scholars Program, which aims to mentor students from West Baltimore from grade six through graduation. Notably, the UMB-CURE Scholars Program is the subject of a PBS documentary series.

For these learners, we covered generally the same topics as we did for the P-TECH program; however, we put greater emphasis on the role of biostatistics in interpreting COVID-19 data to be consistent with UMB-CURE program goals.

Impact: By the Numbers

Although we were not able to deliver a hands-on fieldwork activity in conjunction with biostatistics content, we were able to connect with a greater number and breadth of students than we had planned. Because of this outreach initiative, 83 more high-school students know what biostatistics is, and 41 more undergraduate students and 69 more medical students can explain the multiple comparisons debate.

Upon evaluation, more than 90 percent of responders would recommend the session, and interest in pursuing additional coursework or degree programs in biostatistics increased.

Learners indicated the digital escape room increased their ability to interpret p-values and address multiple comparisons, where one learner said, “I really liked the post-lecture online activity! It was so cute, and I think it was a great way to really reinforce the concepts that we’d just learned. Definitely one of my favorite activities that we’ve done so far :).”

Future Plans

The lectures for summer undergraduate and medical student programs were recorded and are now available for students in subsequent cohorts. Moreover, now that we have created content and built relationships with multiple local UMB partner programs, we aim to continue outreach work. These sessions will likely remain virtual in the near term for flexibility but may transition to something resembling the original plan.

Learn about the section’s strategic initiatives grant.