REU Site: Undergraduate Research in Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Biology faculty will mentor 30 undergraduate biology students (10 each summer for three years) in a Research Experiences for Undergraduates program based at the University of Colorado's Mountain Research Station. The objectives of the program are to engage students in scientific research at an early stage in their academic development and to encourage these students to pursue careers in research and teaching. Students from underrepresented groups will be actively recruited to participate in our program. The program focus is on ecology, behavior, and evolution, with the largest number of students engaged in projects in community and ecosystems ecology. Each summer, students will participate in an intensive one-week introduction to research, followed by nine weeks of research supervised by faculty mentors. The University's NSF funded Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program is based at the Mountain Station, and students benefit from formal and informal interactions with LTER researchers. While undertaking their projects, students learn the principles underlying biological research and gain experience with current scientific techniques. In addition to final presentations of their results at the end of the summer, students are encouraged to publish their findings in peer reviewed scientific journals.