REU Site: Coastal Research in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) at UMass Boston

University Of Massachusetts Boston, Dorchester MA

Investigators

Abstract

Award 1359242 provides renewed funding for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston)and will support a total of thirty students during a summer research internship. The program is called the Coastal Research in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) REU site and is planned as a 10-week research/educational program designed to expose 10 undergraduates per year to cutting edge, integrative, coastal environmental science research. The research or educational niche filled by CREST deals with the transdisciplinarity of coastal research, which closely parallels the strengths of the School for the Environment at UMass Boston. Each CREST scholar will work with a research mentor to develop and conduct a research project in an area of coastal environmental science or technology appropriate to each scholar's background and interests. Students will gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge instrumentation, field experiences, and training in coastal marine data collection and will participate in professional development activities that will develop skills in data interpretation and scientific writing, teamwork and leadership skills, and scientific ethics. Because of the trans-disciplinary approaches of the mentors and the inherent diversity of disciplines represented in the coastal environmental sciences, scholars will gain necessary skills in working across disciplines. The primary broader impacts of CREST are the recruitment and training of future researchers and educators in the coastal environmental sciences.