REU Site: Restoring cattle ranches for sustainable land and water resources

Tarleton State University, Stephenville TX

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to Tarleton State University, located in Stephenville, TX, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2018 - 2020. Research will be conducted both on the main campus and at Timberlake Biological Field Station, located south of Goldthwaite in Mills County, TX. The scientific focus is on environmentally related issues associated with converting a working cattle ranch into a long-term biological field station. Ranching was once a widespread and profitable business with little environmental focus. However, increasing emphasis on sustainable land and water use has helped reshape how cattle ranchers manage their resources to maximize their gain while minimizing their impact on surrounding ecological systems. Faculty mentors from six different departments (Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Geosciences, Sociology, and Wildlife, Sustainability, and Ecosystem Sciences) across three colleges will guide undergraduate students through the scientific process as they address basic and applied issues associated with balancing economic sustainability with environmental sustainability. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. By heavily recruiting from 2-year and 4-year Hispanic Serving Institutions, the REU Site will serve as a pathway for talented, underrepresented students to transition from 2-year colleges to 4-year universities and from 4-year universities to graduate school. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://www.tarleton.edu/timberlakeranch/REU.html, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Christopher L. Higgins at higgins@tarleton.edu) or the Co-PI (Dr. Barbara C. Bellows at bellows@tarleton.edu).