Ep 64: Dr. Kevin Ahern on Supporting Undergraduate Researchers

On this episode, Katie is joined by Dr. Kevin Ahern, a Professor of Biochemistry/Biophysics who has taken a very non-traditional path to becoming a professor.  A Beaver alum, Ahern received his Ph.D from OSU in 1986 and after post-doctoral work at UCSD, rejoined OSU as a business manager in 1989.  Transitioning to the instructional ranks in 1995, Ahern served there until he was promoted from Senior Instructor to Professor in 2014, a rank he currently holds.  Along the way, Ahern served as a scientific writer and editor with stints as contributing editor of Science Magazine, BioTechniques, and Genetic Engineering News.  His YouTube instructional videos have over 4,000,000 views and his three open educational resource textbooks have saved students almost $50,000,000. Segment 1: Writing Creatively as a Researcher [00:00-11:58] In this first segment, Kevin shares about some of the creative writing he does as a scientist. Segment 2: Supporting Undergraduate Researchers [11:59-19:58] In segment two, Kevin shares his experience supporting undergraduate researchers. Segment 3: Best Practices with Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers [19:59-31:16] In segment three, Kevin describes some strategies for effectively mentoring undergraduate researchers. Bonus Clip #1 [00:00-4:20]: Success Stories of Undergraduate Research Bonus Clip #2 [00:00-4:34]: Creating Open Educational Resources To share feedback about this podcast episode, ask questions that could be featured in a future episode, or to share research-related resources, contact the "Research in Action" podcast: Twitter: @RIA_podcast or #RIA_podcast Email: [email protected] Voicemail: 541-737-1111 If you listen to the podcast via iTunes, please consider leaving us a review.