REU Site: Ecology at the Urban-Rural Interface

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。 阿克伦REU网站的大学将提供令人兴奋的夏季研究机会，从全国各地的本科生在2009年至2011年的夏天。 每年将选出6名学生参加为期10周的城乡交界处生态学密集研究计划。 该计划将集中在阿克伦大学野外站，一个434英亩的设施，位于33,000英亩的凯霍加谷国家公园的西部边界。 学生将了解凯霍加山谷和凯霍加河的历史，凯霍加河以前被称为“燃烧的河流”。 通过从农村到城市的梯度工作，学生将学习如何从各种角度和空间尺度将人类生态学融入生物研究。 学生将在全国范围内招募，重点是来自代表性不足群体的学生。 参与者将与他们选择的教师导师密切合作，并将积极参与研究过程的各个方面：生成假设，收集数据，总结和评估结果，并将他们的研究传达给学术受众以及公众。 学生将实地考察该地区重要的生态和文化遗址，参加每周一次的午餐研讨会，并在总结研讨会上展示他们的研究成果。 该计划的目标是培养独立的思想家和有能力的年轻科学家，为研究生院或科学事业做好准备。 更多信息可在www3.uakron.edu/biology/fieldstation/reu.htm或联系项目主任兰迪·米切尔博士，电话330-972-5122或rjm2@uakron.edu。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The University of Akron REU Site will provide exciting summer research opportunities to undergraduate students from across the country during the summers of 2009-2011. Six students will be selected each year to participate in an intensive 10-week research program in ecology at the urban-rural interface. The program will be centered at the University of Akron Field Station, a 434 acre facility located on the western border of the 33,000 acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Students will learn about the history of the Cuyahoga Valley and the Cuyahoga River, formerly known as the "burning river". By working on a gradient from rural to urban, students will learn how to integrate human ecology into biological research from a variety of perspectives and spatial scales. Students will be recruited nationally, with an emphasis on students from underrepresented groups. Participants will work closely with a faculty mentor of their choosing and will be actively involved in all aspects of the research process: generating hypotheses, collecting data, summarizing and evaluating results, and communicating their research to academic audiences as well as the general public. Students will take field trips to important ecological and cultural sites in the region, participate in weekly brown bag lunch seminars, and present the results of their research at a concluding symposium. The goal of the program is to develop independent thinkers and competent young scientists, well prepared for graduate school or scientific careers. Additional information can be found at www3.uakron.edu/biology/fieldstation/reu.htm or by contacting the Program Director, Dr. Randy Mitchell at 330-972-5122 or rjm2@uakron.edu.