REU Site: Genes, Ecosystems, Organisms

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This REU Site award to Harvard University, located in Cambridge, MA, will support the training of 8 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2022-2024. It is anticipated that a total of 24 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities and/or from under-represented groups, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and all participants will present their results at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium, as well as other scientific conferences. In addition, students will engage in professional skill building exercises that will encourage them to pursue a career in research science in general and evolution/ecology in particular. Assessment of the program will be done thru the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Research projects and mentors will be drawn from a diverse set of labs based in the Departments of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and Human Evolutionary Biology, which focus on the study of evolution, ecology, genetics/genomics, physiology, biomechanics, and biodiversity. In addition to an intensive, mentored laboratory experience, the REU students will participate in several types of activities: 1) professional development seminars, including on ethics/responsible conduct of research, 2) the Leadership Alliance National Symposium research and mentoring conference, and 3) diverse cohort-building social activities. By participating in the REU program, undergraduate students will have cutting edge research experiences within the context of a strong mentorship community made up of faculty, graduate students, and peers. This experience will demystify the graduate school application process and longterm career opportunities, with a particular goal of building confidence and psychological resiliency. Applicants are invited to apply through the Leadership Alliance Program and indicate their interest in the Harvard E3 REU. Our goal is to reach students at undergraduate institutions who demonstrate an interest in evolution and ecology but may have limited access to this type of research on their home campuses. More information about the program is available by visiting https://reu.oeb.harvard.edu/sroh, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Elena Kramer, ekramer@oeb.harvard.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Sheila Thomas, sthomas@fas.harvard.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.