REU Site: Multidisciplinary environmental science research on forest lakes in Northwest New Jersey

Montclair State University, Montclair NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Undergraduate students will participate in transdisciplinary, hands-on, field-oriented research in environmental sciences, centered on small lakes around the New Jersey School of Conservation, Montclair State's field campus located in 30,000 acres of preserved forest in northwest New Jersey. The students will be housed and research based at the School of Conservation, providing an extraordinary "research immersion experience". Students will work on and rotate among the following research areas, performing field measurement and comparing them with modeling calculations: 1) surface hydrology; 2) subsurface hydrology; 3) diurnal water-quality relationships; 4) erosion and sedimentation relationships; and 5) sediment-water phosphorus dynamics. These small lakes lie in the midst of a large, protected forest; presumably, they can serve as reference sites for comparison in studies of other northeastern lakes. The small size of the lakes involved allows for intensive observation and, therefore, the project provides an excellent opportunity to assess the accuracy of various field methods and models in hydrology, geomorphology and aquatic chemistry. Participating students will interact with each other and with faculty and graduate students serving as role models. Faculty and graduate students from MSU will travel to NJSOC daily to work with the students in their area of expertise. REU students will also travel periodically to the main campus to analyze samples using advanced instruments. Scientific endeavors will be supported by team-building, recreational and educational/professional development activities, including presentations by the students at professional conferences. The program will inspire and enable REU scholars to pursue degrees and careers in science/engineering research and will build their confidence that such degrees/careers are desirable and feasible. By recruiting from minority-serving community colleges, we will attract the members of groups that are currently under-represented in the environmental sciences. The students will be trained in transdisciplinary field and laboratory scientific research methods in environmental science, as well as in teamwork and communication. Graduate students will also be trained in how to mentor undergraduates.