IRES: The Development of Biological Indicators of Environmental Stress and Sustainable Development in the Danube Delta, Romania

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0623474EhlingerThis IRES project will send undergraduate students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) to conduct research at the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (DDBR) on the Black Sea in Romania. The proposal will fund twelve U.S. undergraduate students per year to spend six weeks in Romania collaborating with researchers from Ovidius University in Constanta over a three-year period. Students will gather data and analyze the linkages between layered environmental stressors and biological responses and interpret these relationships within the context of human social and economic needs. Intellectual Merit Three overall student research objectives are presented in the proposal: to identify and quantify spatial and temporal patterns across a gradient of key human-induced stressors in the DDBR that contribute to declines in biological integrity; to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that link stressors with biological endpoints by conducting a series of ecophysiological and eco toxicological studies using fish, invertebrates, and bacterial bioreporters; and to examine how biological indicators can be used to monitor degradation and support scientific efforts for ecological restoration and formulation of policies for sustainable development of the Danube Delta Ecosystem. Students will develop scientific expertise in environmental monitoring within the context of the complex social and economic realities of a nation moving out form a legacy of Soviet communism toward integration with western society and the European Union.Prior to arriving in Romania, the U.S. students will spend four weeks in Milwaukee participating in technology workshops to learn the laboratory and field skills required for the research, seminars on the human dimensions of sustainable development, and a basic Romanian language course. As part of an inter-institutional agreement between UWM and Ovidius University, the PI's expect that six Romanian students will participate in a corporate-sponsored internship program in environmental sciences at UWM. The students will study along with the U.S. students in the seminars and workshops in Milwaukee, after which they will travel and participate together conducting research in Romania. Broader ImpactsSupport is provided for 36 U.S. undergraduate students to conduct interdisciplinary research in a unique wetlands ecosystem that has not traditionally received much attention from U.S. scientists. Their results and analyses will assist environmental management in the Danube Delta region. The U.S. students will participate in substantial international research experiences that will prepare them to operate successfully in a global environment. Two U.S. faculty members will accompany the students to strengthen the research ties and ensure that the U.S. students who visit are well-mentored. To recruit eligible students, the principal investigators will cooperate with several local organizations. One of these organizations, the UWM Center for International Education has already been successful in recruiting students from under-represented minority groups to participate in international research and education activities.