REU Site: Summer Program at Harvard in Earth and Environmental Research (SPHEER): Investigating a changing planet across multiple timescales

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates site at Harvard provides a 10-week intensive program for undergraduates to conduct research in the earth and environmental sciences. The program draws on the broad skills and knowledge of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) and incorporates the place-based knowledge and expertise of communities that are or soon will be profoundly affected by climate change. Ten students each summer work closely with EPS faculty and graduate students to gain hands-on experience in research on Earth system changes. Such changes occur across multiple timescales, from decades to millions of years. Through SPHEER, students deepen their understanding of linked land-atmosphere-ocean processes, including the potential consequences of unchecked human activity. Experts from communities experiencing the effects of environmental change are invited to give seminars and engage with REU students and mentors in order to incorporate the place-based historical knowledge, perspectives and priorities of these communities into current research. The overarching theme of SPHEER is investigation of the drivers and consequences of Earth system change. Research projects involve the study of atmospheric chemistry and physics, climate change, geochemistry, geology, and geophysics. Specific SPHEER objectives are to (1) mentor students in pioneering research; (2) help students understand the interplay between field and laboratory research, data analysis, and modeling in studying environmental change; (3) immerse students in practicing these new skills; (4) familiarize students with pathways to graduate school and careers; (5) engage a diverse group of students in careers centered on the changing Earth; and (6) incorporate diverse cultural perspectives in the study of environmental change. Targeted participants include students at historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, and tribal colleges and universities, as well as historically marginalized students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at majority-serving institutions. 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.