Research Experience for Undergraduates in the Geosciences (REU Site)

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

Christensen This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site grant will support a minimum of eight undergraduates in Solid Earth Geophysics at the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks. The program will give undergraduates majoring in geology, geophysics, physics, and closely related disciplines, experience in the types of research conducted at the Geophysical Institute. The program objective is to acquaint undergraduates with the exciting research opportunities in the various fields of geophysics concentrating on seismology, volcanology, geochronology, geochemistry, paleomagnetics, geodesy, tectonics, glaciers and sea ice, and remote sensing, and encouraging the undergraduates to go on to graduate school in these or other scientific areas. Women and minorities will be particularly encouraged to apply. In this program, students are assigned to work with individual principal investigators on projects assigned by the investigators. In their contacts with graduate students and by attending seminars and thesis defenses, the students will obtain an accurate perspective on graduate student life. It is our hope that this program will give undergraduate students, many from small liberal arts colleges, the opportunity for in-depth exposure to the fields of solid earth sciences before they must make decisions regarding graduate school. In addition there will be an organized series of weekly lectures and field trips to expose interns to other fields of research beyond the scope of their own project.