REU Site: Interdisciplinary Watershed Studies at the College of William and Mary

REU 网站：威廉玛丽学院的跨学科分水岭研究

• 批准号: 0552514
• 负责人: Randolph Chambers
• 金额: $ 18.63万
• 依托单位: College of William and Mary
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-06-01 至 2008-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0552514&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; Interdisciplinary; Watershed; Studies

Each year this project selects 10 outstanding undergraduates from across the country to participate in student research projects mentored by faculty in environmental geology, biology, sociology and economics. The cohort of students work with W&M faculty mentors to determine the impacts of changing watershed land use in scientific and socio-economic contexts. Within local watersheds, students complete research projects in aquatic and associated upland habitats under increasing pressures from urbanization. Investigations of current hydrogeologic and ecological status in watersheds are completed by analyzing riparian corridor impacts associated with channel incision, stormwater management effectiveness, spatial variation in water quality, lake-wide budgets for water, sediment and nutrients, and population/community structure in aquatic and terrestrial portions of the watershed. Because the status of any watershed system is the result of historical changes in land use, sociologic and economic surveys of residents' perception of development, environmental protection and water and property rights are used to determine the current direction and strength of population and market forcing functions. Student teams seek to tackle many fundamental issues in watershed impacts and protection in developed areas: population and community structure changes in altered aquatic and terrestrial environments; evolutionary responses of populations to habitat alteration; water, sediment, and nutrient budgets; riparian corridor function following urbanization-induced channel incision; and the effectiveness of retention ponds in managing stormwater. Each of these issues requires communication among students and faculty working in different disciplines. The research program provides training in interdisciplinary cooperation that is essential for resolving complex environmental issues. The impacts of the study include the promotion of environmental research training and learning for undergraduates (including underrepresented groups), toward the goal of enhancing environmental science literacy across relevant disciplines. The products of research contribute to a more comprehensive understanding and identification of opportunities for successful watershed management by participant government and community interest groups.

本项目每年从全国选拔10名优秀本科生参加环境地质学、生物学、社会学、经济学等学科教师指导的学生研究项目。这群学生与W&amp；M教师导师一起工作，以确定在科学和社会经济背景下变化的流域土地利用的影响。在当地流域内，学生在城市化压力日益增加的水生和相关高地栖息地完成研究项目。通过分析与河道切割相关的河流廊道影响、雨水管理有效性、水质空间变化、全湖水、沉积物和营养收支以及流域水陆部分的人口/群落结构，完成了流域当前水文地质和生态状况的调查。由于任何流域系统的现状都是土地利用历史变化的结果，因此利用对居民对发展、环境保护、水和产权的看法的社会学和经济调查来确定人口和市场强迫功能的当前方向和强度。学生团队寻求解决发达地区流域影响和保护的许多基本问题：在改变的水生和陆地环境中人口和社区结构的变化；种群对生境改变的进化响应水、沉积物和营养收支；城市化河道切割后的河岸廊道功能以及蓄水池在管理雨水方面的有效性。这些问题都需要在不同学科的学生和教师之间进行沟通。该研究项目提供跨学科合作方面的培训，这对解决复杂的环境问题至关重要。本研究的影响包括促进本科生（包括代表性不足群体）的环境研究培训和学习，以提高相关学科的环境科学素养。研究成果有助于更全面地了解和确定参与的政府和社区利益集团成功管理流域的机会。