Engaging science across cultures: building a research community of Buddhist monastics and undergraduate and faculty mentors

Emory University has had a long relationship with His Holiness the Dalai Lama through the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative. Recently the Tenzin Gyatso Science Scholars, who are Tibetan Buddhist monastics that reside and take courses on Emory’s campus, were enrolled in a novel science research course designed and taught by undergraduate students at Emory. The goal of this study was to build a research community of Buddhist monastics who worked alongside undergraduate and graduate mentors to complete projects in R1 research laboratories, and the course was designed as preparation for these efforts. The course covered aspects of the scientific method and focused on enhancing engagement and motivation of the Scholars to pursue science research. Knowledge acquisition was assessed through quizzes, affect changes were assessed through focus group interviews, and overall course success was measured through Principal Investigator surveys. Conceptual knowledge and overall average improvement increased significantly week-to-week. Changes in affect for self-efficacy, belonging, knowledge, and future applications/drive trended towards improvement in each respective category. Finally, all seven Monastic Scholars who participated in the research curriculum were enrolled in R1 research experiences after conclusion of the course, and their principal investigators positively evaluated the preparedness and motivation of the monastics. The curriculum detailed here and its implementation facilitated cross-cultural education and successfully transitioned students from the classroom into research laboratories.