REU Site: Environmental Impacts on Biological Systems: From Molecules to Ecosystems

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Hope College (Holland, MI) will host an REU Site each summer for the next 5 years (2008-2012). Students will conduct research on "Environmental Impacts on Biological Systems: From Molecules to Ecosystems," with faculty in the Biology Department. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the integrative nature of biology and of the role of the environment in biological processes and on biological systems. Students will generate experimental hypotheses, design and carry out experiments, evaluate data, and communicate their results to both scientific and non-scientific audiences. Students will also gain insight into linkages across different scales of biological systems, while conducting research at the level of biological organization in which they are most interested. Students will learn lab techniques and use of the scientific literature, participate in weekly workshops, discuss ethics in science, and get exposed to various careers in science. At the end of summer, students are expected to be experts in the background, methods, results and significance of their research work and are prepared to present their work at professional scientific meetings. The goal is to develop students into independent and highly competent young scientists who are well-prepared for graduate study in biology and careers as research scientists. REU students are provided with a stipend, no cost housing, and funds for travel to and from Hope College. Students belonging to groups underrepresented in the biological sciences are strongly encouraged to apply. More information is available at http://sharp.hope.edu/, or by contacting the Program Director (Christopher Barney) at barney@hope.edu.