REU Site in Ecology, Environmental Science and Conservation Biology in Ghana

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ABSTRACTThe goal of James Madison University's REU program is to expand the educational experience of participants through research in ecology, environmental science, and conservation biology in tropical sub-Sahara Africa. Each cohort of participants will comprise of seven undergraduate students and a high school teacher. Participants from U.S. universities will travel to the University of Cape Coast, Ghana during the summer to work on defined research projects under the mentorship of Ghanaian scientists for eight weeks. They will acquire skills in ethnobotany, tropical biology, ecology, entomology and taxonomy. They will improve their skills in critical thinking and problem solving while gaining a better understanding of the Ghanaian culture. This program has two main thrusts: i) bioprospecting for potentially useful plants and ii) ecological and environmental studies. The carefully selected projects will focus on screening plants for their potential economic importance and for ecological studies in the Cape Coast area (such as the Kakum National Forest). Participants will design experiments in collaboration with their mentors, collect and analyze their data, and present their results at the end of the program in Ghana and at regional and national meetings upon their return to the U.S. Seminars and workshops will be led by Ghanaian professors to provide participants opportunities to learn beyond their disciplines. They will be encouraged to publish their results in peer-reviewed journals. In addition to covering cost of travel to the host site, room and board, participants will also receive a stipend. More information is available at http://csm.jmu.edu/wubah/UCC/.