Single Parents Represent an Underutilized Resource for Undergraduate and Graduate Research Training

Abstract

Undergraduate and graduate research opportunities represent a unique educational opportunity for students in that they can stimulate students’ interest and potential careers in academic disciplines. Students who are single parents can also benefit from this opportunity, yet they are often overlooked by faculty members. In this article, we describe some of the challenges and benefits of involving students who are single parents in research laboratories.

Keywords:

• Student trainee
• Lab recruitment
• Research training logistics
• Student parenting

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Mary Barnes, who was a valuable member of the lab for many years. We also thank Millicent Goldschmidt, Jo Handelsman, and Jennifer Sheridan for their advice and encouragement in writing this article. We wish to dedicate this paper to Alena, Jenny, and Sierra, who were enthusiastic supporters of their mothers.

Additional information

Funding

NASA (NNX17AC79G), National Insitutes of Health (1T34GM136483-01A1), and National Science Foundation (2224449).