REU SITE: Assessment and Sustainable Management of Ecosystem Services

University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville AR

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, AR, will support the training of 10 undergraduate students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2014-2016. The theme of the REU is sustainable management in ecosystem services. Students will select from a diverse group of field- and laboratory-based projects designed to integrate biogeochemical, hydrological, and ecological processes. Additionally, students will engage in cultural enrichment activities through which they will explore the social and economic factors that influence ecosystem services. For example students will take a field trip to Tar creek in Pitcher, Oklahoma to witness first-hand the consequences of ecosystem destruction. Students will meet with experts from the Tribal Environmental Program and learn about how Tribal governments have developed explicit land use and land management policies that both support sustainability and reflect the unique cultural perspectives of the Tribe. Students will also participate in professional development seminars on the ethics of sustainability, responsible conduct of research, preparation for graduate school, and leadership development. At the end of the program, students will present their research results in oral and written form at the REU Student Symposium. Applicants will be selected based on academic record, background and experience, two letters of recommendation, and a short essay. Members of groups traditionally under-represented in science are strongly encouraged to apply. One of the major goals of the REU is to provide Tribal communities, in particular, with a gateway to scientific educational and research opportunities. It is thus anticipated that students will present their results at regional and national scientific meetings. The effectiveness of the program will be assessed using the BIO REU common assessment tool Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by visiting http://www.bioreu.org, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Michelle Evans-White at mevanswh@uark.edu) or the co-PIs (Dr. Thad Scott at jts004@uark.edu; Dr. Marty Matlock at mmatlock@uark.edu).