UMEB: Undergraduate Training in Ecological and Evolutionary Approaches to Complex Environmental Problems

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

0203992 Honeycutt The Texas A&M University System, including the main campus at College Station and four primarily undergraduate serving institutions, will establish an extended and mentor-supported research experience for undergraduates primarily from underrepresented groups. The program is designed to provide training in the objective assessment of scientific theories based on critical thinking, experimentation, collaboration, and synthesis of information. Students in the program will be supported throughout the year and for multiple years. Student participants will be recruited from disciplines in environmental biology, and training will emphasize interdisciplinary research based on modern techniques in environmental biology and engineering. Research projects will pertain to complex environmental problems that require knowledge of ecological principles, population biology, genetics, environmental risk assessment, environmental engineering, and toxicology. The program is designed to provide each student co-mentors who will provide guidance for the student throughout the program. This award includes a supplement from the Americas Program of NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering. This supplement will support travel to Latin America, where students and their mentors will engage in research collaborations between U.S. and Latin American research groups. Solutions to complex environmental problems require integrated multi-disciplinary approaches. While society struggles to devise a means for sustainable economic development, the degradation of ecosystems threatens renewable natural resources. Such degradation also impacts biological diversity, human health, and prospects for future economic gains. Inherent ecosystem complexity often complicates our understanding of how the various components interact for effective functioning of a healthy ecosystem. This complication also makes it difficult to identify potential risks and enact programs that minimize risk. Future scientists must be trained to collaborate across diverse disciplines in both the life sciences and engineering. This project is designed to train the next generation of young scientists, so that they can contribute to resolving some of the environmental issues that our nation and the world will face in the near future.