REU SITE: Summer Research Opportunities in Enviromental Sciences in the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains of California

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

White Mountain Research Station, University of California This REU program will link nationally recruited undergraduates with accomplished academic scientists. Special emphasis will be placed on including minority and women students so they may benefit from the research and team building experience. These research teams will work in the unique and challenging environment of the eastern Sierra Nevada region of California and will use four laboratory facilities in the White Mountains. This REU site will encompass a wide range of environmental biology research, from high altitude physiology to population ecology. These projects will expose students to broadly related research questions and state-of-the-art technologies, while allowing each student to explore a particular aspect of a project in depth. Project mentors will facilitate the REU by supporting the technological, logistical, and organizational needs of the students. Week long orientations at the beginning of the program will introduce the research projects and mentors to the students, and provide the students with basic knowledge of the region and the team building process. Led by faculty mentors, weekly research team meetings will provide time for traditional scientific reviews of the previous week's work. Additionally, students will also meet as a group and discuss how they are progressing as members of their research teams. An important emphasis of this program will be team building and positive work environments and the direct role of students in the process through discussions and feedback. As a result, the impact of this REU program will be to expand a student's understanding of, and participation in, effective research programs while producing research that has the potential to contribute substantially to a particular