REU Site: Global Change Ecology at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), located in Edgewater, MD, will support the training of 10 students for 12 weeks during the summers of 2020- 2022. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Over the last few centuries, humans have dramatically altered the planet through habitat fragmentation, increased greenhouse gases, species introductions, excess nutrient loading, and native species extirpation. Determining and ultimately mitigating the consequences of these global transformations is a major goal in ecology, and the primary focus of the REU program at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. SERC interns focus on how aspects of global change, including ecosystem conservation, climate change, biological invasions, and altered biodiversity, are changing ecosystem functions. Recent REU projects have included impacts of hypoxia on oysters, the role of mutualistic bacteria in crop responses to drought, and the impacts of tree diversity on soil formation. Complex environmental issues require a multi-disciplinary approach and interns are trained in many subfields including ecology, chemistry, genetics, quantitative ecology, and science communication. The program is a 12-week period of field research, laboratory work, and educational training, including a series of short courses on research skills, scientific communication, responsible research conduct and STEM careers. Applications for summer internships are due by February 15. Internship applications require a personal statement, unofficial transcripts, a resume, and 1-3 letters of recommendation. More information about the program is available by visiting https://serc.si.edu/pro_training/internships/projectmenu.aspx , or by contacting the PI (Dr. Alison Cawood at cawooda@si.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. John Parker at parkerj@si.edu). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.