There is something magical that happens when you can take what you have been taught and apply it to a real situation.

• Investigating prairies, wetlands and forests to evaluate the health of ecosystems and the life contained there.
• Working shoulder-to-shoulder with experts in the field during an internship.
• Exploring disease and the factors that can exacerbate or alleviate the suffering they cause.
• Fighting off a cyber-attack in a contained network.
• Launching a business venture based on detailed market research and data driven solutions.
• Student teaching in another city, state or country.

High-impact learning gives students more than just a technical understanding; it creates holistic learning. They learn more about their field and about themselves, how to operate under pressure and how to navigate failures. Our students examine how to adapt to variation, because nothing ever happens just like the textbook example. Learning becomes experiential and integrated. And when they leave Emporia State and begin careers, graduates are more than just ready to get started, they bring enhanced value to any organization on day one.

Initiatives seeking support include

• Creating exciting new high-impact, real-world experiential learning opportunities.
• Investing in technology - software, hardware, programs and tools - to create powerful learning environments.
• Empowering experiences by supporting travel for presentations, conferences, research and internships – domestic and abroad.

Intensive analysis through student-built and student-conducted research – honing skills in career focused internships – stretching boundaries through technology –exploring cultures and informing perspectives through travel.

Publishing your research is an important part of building your scientific career. Publishing as an undergraduate student puts you miles ahead of the competition.

For students in Erika Martin’s General Biology 141, it’s just a regular day in class.

“I want students to leave the university not only knowing things but knowing what to do with the things they’ve learned. Those are not necessarily the same thing. They are two different skill sets. I want my students to have a leap in knowledge and do some real science that is publishable,” says Martin.

The fall 2018 class had their paper on microplastics in the Great Plains published in the fall issue of Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science.