URM Proposal: Undergraduate Research & Mentoring in Environmental Biology on Land-Lake ecosystems

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The URM program at the University of Toledo will train undergraduate students, especially those from under-represented minority groups, in research and prepare them for future graduate study in environmental biology. Four cohorts of six students, who will be drawn from a very diverse student population on campus, will receive financial support to participate in two calendar years of intensive, independent, and integrated research and mentoring program. At least eleven faculty members will serve as mentors in this URM program and engage the students in a wide-range of environmental and ecological disciplines focusing on stresses to the land-lake ecosystem interface, including (i) toxic algal blooms and exotic species, (ii) declining fish spawning habitat and emerging VHS viral disease, (iii) wetlands and water quality, and (iv) terrestrial impacts on watershed services. URM students will interact in a joint course and seminar curriculum while earning independent research credits. This URM will provide regular interaction with agency and environmental professionals to develop an understanding of the significance and application of their research work, while augmenting the understanding of the role of anthropogenic stressors in water quality crises. For additional information, please contact Dr. Von Sigler at von.sigler@utoledo.edu, or visit http://www.utoledo.edu/as/envsciences/NSF-URM.html.