Transitioning undergraduate research from wet lab to the virtual in the wake of a pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has shut down universities, and teaching faculty have moved to online classrooms to address students. This change has been supported by numerous online teaching tools and development of virtual classrooms. Undergraduate research programs in the sciences and biochemistry/molecular biology teaching labs, however, are affected by this change due to inaccessibility to laboratories. This communication outlines three concepts to engage undergraduate students who are involved in research: (a) remote data analysis, (b) literature review and science writing, and (c) science journal clubs.