REU Site in Biology: Conservation Biology in the Agricultural Midwest

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9732275 The Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Zoology Department will provide intensive research experiences for 9 undergraduate students during the summers of 1998 and 1999. Student participants will form research teams to engage in studies addressing conservation biology and landscape fragmentation. The goals of this experience will be to foster in each participant an understanding of the research process, and encourage each student's growth from dependent learner to independent researcher to interdependent member of a scientific team. Participants will be recruited nationally and selected based on their professional goals, motivation and maturity, and academic achievements. Students will be fully immersed in the research process as they choose their own research problem, write a proposal, conduct the work, and report their results and conclusions. Each participant will work closely with an individual faculty mentor and team members. Opportunities to interact and collaborate with other faculty members and research teams will be provided through an orientation retreat, weekly group meetings, and a series of formal workshops and field trips. In addition, visiting scientists, recognized leaders in conservation biology, will each spend 1 or 2 days presenting seminars, participating in informal discussion groups, and critiquing research projects. Students will have ample opportunities to interact with mentors, fellow participants, and visiting scientists in both formal and informal settings. EIU is strongly committed to undergraduate research and will make important contributions to this program, including provision of a block of dormitory rooms and a common dining area for participants, waiver of tuition for three credit-hours, and free use of campus facilities, including the library, computer labs, and recreation center.