A Course-Based Research Experience Using the Allen Brain Map: From Research Question to Poster Session

San Francisco, CA A major challenge in implementing course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) is for students to collect enough data for a robust analysis given the time and equipment available. One approach to mitigating this constraint in a CURE is to use massive open datasets such as those from the Allen Brain Map, produced by the Allen Institute for Brain Science. We describe a multi-week CURE module in which students generate a research question that can be addressed using at least two datasets of the Allen Brain Map, perform their analysis, and produce a conference-style poster detailing their findings. This article includes an adaptable CURE assignment, tutorials introducing students to selected datasets from the Allen Brain Map, and a summary of student outcomes.