REU Site in Ecological and Evolutionary Research at Humboldt State University

Cal Poly Humboldt Sponsored Programs Foundation, Arcata CA

Investigators

Abstract

Humboldt State University will host 10 students each summer in a 10-week REU program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Our program is designed to provide hands-on research opportunities for undergraduates, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences. Recruitment will be based on interest in ecology and evolutionary biology, career goals, and academic achievement. We will choose students to ensure a culturally diverse group of participants, as well as 1-2 students who are training to become high school biology teachers. The 17 faculty who will serve as mentors in our program have active research programs that run the full gamut of evolutionary biology, ranging from the diversity of microbial communities in hot springs at Lassen Volcanic National Park to the evolutionary ecology of songbirds, the physiological ecology of bats, and the systematics and biogeography of flying squirrels and other Pacific Northwest mammals. Students in our REU program will: 1) learn the essentials of experimental design and statistical analysis, 2) design and implement independent research projects in conjunction with their peers, 3) present their work at the end of the summer in a formal seminar, 4) write a manuscript on their work, and 5) participate in a social program that instills an appreciation for the wide variety of natural habitats in Northern California and the community of scholars in which they reside. Humboldt State University offers outstanding facilities and field sites for research in evolutionary biology. Within 30 miles of Arcata, students can visit salt marshes, sand dunes, old growth redwoods (including a 600-acre redwood forest directly adjacent to campus), grassland savannas, Douglas fir forests, serpentine grasslands, mudflats, rocky tide pools, and benthic marine habitats. HSU's approach to undergraduate education is incredibly successful; among public, non-PhD granting institutions, HSU ranks 1st in the nation in the proportion of undergraduates that go on to attain a PhD in biology. For further information and application materials, please contact Dr. Sean Craig at sfc4@humboldt.edu or (707) 826-3656, or visit http://www.humboldt.edu/~hsureu/.