REU Site: Dynamic Earth in the 21st Century: Undergraduate Research on the Evolution of Earth's Interior, Surface and Climate

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

Dynamic Earth in the 21st Century is a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site that is collaboratively run by Brown University’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) and the Leadership Alliance. The primary goals are to enable undergraduates from groups historically marginalized in the sciences to engage in exciting, well-mentored summer research experiences; develop key research and professional skills; and build their understanding of the research process, graduate school and research careers. In each of three summers, eight undergraduates who attend schools other than Brown University will come to Brown’s campus for nine weeks of research, mentored by DEEPS faculty. REU students will be further supported by research lab teams, a twice-weekly cohort discussion group, and the highly effective professional development and networking programs of the Leadership Alliance, a national consortium dedicated to training and mentoring students from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds for competitive graduate programs and professional research-based careers. REU students will enhance their abilities to communicate their work in writing and through presentations at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium and a summer research symposium at Brown. In the following year, the REU students will have the opportunity to present their work at a national science meeting that aligns with their interests. REU student research projects will span a range of research themes, including: 1) Measuring mantle properties with earthquake waves, and modeling how mantle viscosity affects predictions of sea-level change in response to melting ice sheets; 2) Assessing the role of subduction zones in recycling water into Earth’s mantle; 3) Understanding the processes that contribute to volcanic eruptions and magma chamber stability, and modeling the formation of volcanic edifices on Earth and other planetary bodies; 4) Developing new tools to measure rock thermal histories; 5) Measuring the record of past climate change in lake and ocean sediments, and assessing glacial re-advances with sediment deformation structures; 6) Modeling the feedbacks between climate change and vegetation; 7) Assessing the drivers of air and water quality with a focus on urban landscapes. These projects include implications for societally-relevant topics such as climate change and its impacts including sea-level rise, wildfires, and vegetation responses; air and water quality; and volcanic eruptions. Recruitment will focus on students from historically marginalized groups or who face other barriers to participation in the geosciences: students from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in STEM, women and non-binary students, first-generation college students, students from lower income households, students who attend schools where geoscience research opportunities are limited, and students with disabilities. The program welcomes students of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and students from diverse life experiences and academic paths, including veterans. 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.