The Neural Tube CURE: Engaging undergraduate students in a relevant developmental biology research course

Research experience is necessary for undergraduate students who aim to become professional scientists; however, gaining research experience is a daunting task fraught with challenges often beyond a student's control. To create an opportunity for more undergraduate students to engage in relevant developmental biology research with meaningful societal impact, we devised a new course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) focused on identifying candidate genes that may be required for human neural tube closure. In the CURE outlined here, students used molecular biology and cloning techniques to generate CRISPR knockouts of specific genes in chick embryos and measured subsequent neural tube defect frequency. Pre- and post-surveys from students provide evidence that after participating in the course, students made gains in self-confidence and science identity, met learning goals, and felt that all lectures and assignments were valuable. Students also reported that the course led them to realize the impact and importance of developmental biology research. To solidify the connection between the work that students do in the course and the world around them, we also propose a future activity to help students to engage more deeply with the societal context of neural tube defects. In this resource article, we present the Neural Tube CURE as a valuable course to engage students in novel developmental biology research.