UMEB: Human Impacts on Ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

Investigators

Abstract

0080156 Drickamer Northern Arizona University is combining ongoing Colorado Plateau research initiatives and a diverse student population to create an Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology program. Seventeen faculty mentors are committed to work with seven community collaborators to recruit, train and promote talented students for careers in environmental biology. Strong emphasis is placed on recruitment of Native Americans and Hispanic Americans. Selected students gain support and training through stipends, coursework, advising and mentoring. This program provides students opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research related to human impacts on ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau. Students work closely with faculty mentors to pose hypotheses, design experiments, complete research projects, and disseminate results thorough oral presentations and published works. Cohorts of UMEB seniors share their training with incoming cohorts and also act as mentors themselves to high school students involved in the GLOBE program and other NAU outreach activities. What are the impacts of climate change on the carbon balance of Colorado Plateau ecosystems? How does livestock management influence productivity and diversity of Southwestern grasslands? Do mycorrhizae function differently in traditional Native American maize and high-input maize? Research on these questions and many more are being advanced by UMEB students and their faculty mentors. Another important outcome of this program is that it increases the number of Native American and Hispanic American environmental biologists. These professionals will be particularly well qualified to contribute expertise towards ameliorating many of the complex environmental problems on the Colorado Plateau and throughout the nation.