REU Site: Ecology in Human-Dominated Landscapes

Miami University, Oxford OH

Investigators

Abstract

Miami University will conduct an REU site on Ecology in Human-Dominated Landscapes in which 12 students would spend 10 weeks In the summer, engaged in collaborative, multi-disciplinary research that emphasizes ecological questions in landscapes heavily influenced by human activity. We will recruit students with the goal of having a diverse group that includes underrepresented minorities, first-generation college students, and students from colleges with little research opportunities. Students will conduct individual research projects with the guidance of individual faculty mentors. Each student project will also be part of a research "cluster," with each cluster consisting of 3-5 students and an equal number of faculty mentors. Students will develop projects that are collaborative with other students in the cluster, focused around a theme that ties together the research programs of several faculty members. Thus, students will be exposed to a broad range of research and have the opportunity to work in multi-disciplinary research teams, structured similarly to research groups solving real-world problems. Each student will also participate in whole group activities, including a 10-week workshop course (2 hours per week) that covers the scientific process, scientific and environmental ethics, careers in ecology, how to prepare and deliver scientific presentations, and other research aspects. In addition, all students will participate in whole-day field trips as a group, and attend the annual conference of the Ecological Society of America with some of the faculty mentors. Finally, each student will present his or her research as an oral presentation, an electronic poster, and a written paper that will eventually be developed into a manuscript for publication. Miami University has excellent field and lab facilities for executing this REU site, including a diverse array of human-dominated ecosystems (including the Ecology Research Center, a nearby field station), and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities. Miami also has a long and excellent history of involving undergraduates in research, a foundation upon which this REU project will build. For further information, please contact Dr. David J. Berg at bergdj@muohio, 513-529-3174, or visit our REU program website at www.muohio.edu/ecoreu.