Research Experiences for Undergraduates at Mountain Lake Biological Station

弗吉尼亚大学山湖生物站（MLBS）的本科生研究经验（REU）站点为10名学生提供了一个在实验、实地生态学、进化和行为方面进行独立、自我激励、跨学科和原创生物学研究的机会。在研究导师和项目协调员的密切监督和指导下，学生在十周的项目时间内设计、执行、分析、解释并展示一个独立的研究项目。许多学生的项目发表在同行评议的主要期刊上。学生每周参加关于研究的设计和实施、科学伦理、写作和演讲技巧以及其他科学和学术生活问题的研讨会。学生准备书面和口头提案和最终报告。参与者还可以利用山湖丰富、多样、刺激的智力和社交生活。MLBS每周举办两次正式的研究研讨会，其中包括内部和邀请的演讲者。所有空间站的居民都在公共食堂一起吃饭，大多数日常活动都围绕着所有研究项目所在的中央实验室大楼展开。由于实地站点通常在步行距离内，所有站点用户之间的互动不断发生，从而形成了一个非常支持和协作的环境。大型大学和小型学院的研究人员年复一年地回到空间站，有些人一呆就是10年、20年，甚至30年。整个夏天，60到80名主要调查员、课程教员、博士后、研究生和本科生以及高中生都在该站居住。自1993年以来，MLBS连续举办了NSF REU-Sites项目，已有100多名学生毕业，其中一半以上的学生继续攻读生物学研究生课程。该项目非常成功地吸引了来自小型学院的女性和学生，这些学院的研究可能不是重点。特别鼓励少数民族学生和代表性不足的群体申请。

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Mountain LakeBiological Station (MLBS, University of Virginia) offers ten students asummer opportunity to conduct independent, self-motivated,interdisciplinary, and original biological research in experimental,field-based ecology, evolution, and behavior. Under the close supervisionand guidance of a research mentor, and the program coordinator, studentsdesign, execute, analyze, interpret, and present a self-contained researchproject within the ten weeks of the program. Many student projects arepublished in leading peer-reviewed journals. Students participate in weeklyseminars on the design and conduct of research, scientific ethics, writingand presentation techniques, and other matters of scientific and academiclife. Students prepare written and oral proposals and final reports.Participants also take advantage of the rich, varied, and stimulatingintellectual and social life at Mountain Lake. MLBS hosts two formalresearch seminars per week, which include both in-house and invitedspeakers. All Station residents eat meals together in the common dininghall, and most daily activity revolves around the central lab building whereall research programs are housed. And since field sites are often withinwalking distance, interactions among all Station users occur constantly,resulting in a remarkably supportive and collaborative environment.Researchers from large universities and small colleges return to the Stationyear after year - some for 10, 20, even 30 years. Sixty to eighty principalinvestigators, course faculty, post-docs, graduate and undergraduatestudents, and high school students are in residence at the Stationthroughout the summer. MLBS has hosted an NSF REU-Sites programcontinuously since 1993 and has graduated well over 100 students - over halfhave gone on to pursue graduate training in biology. The program is verysuccessful at attracting women and students from small colleges whereresearch may not be a focus. Minority students and those inunderrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.