REU Site: The Integrated Science of Global Change and Its Impacts

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。德克萨斯大学环境科学研究所联合REU/RET项目的本科生和K-12教师将在教师导师的研究小组中工作，研究与全球变化及其影响的综合科学相关的科学主题。该计划的重点是全球变化，定义为气候变化和土地利用/土地覆盖变化的过程及其对生态系统和水的影响。重点放在跨学科的观点，整合不同的领域，如古生态学，地质学，生态学，大气科学，城市生态学，政策，工程，水文学和海洋生物学。小组研讨会和实地考察将使学生和教师熟悉这种跨学科的方法，教师导师、他们的研究生和博士后研究员将指导学生开展独立的研究项目。这项独立研究的目标是在科学会议上发表科学出版物或报告。专业发展机会包括与环境咨询公司、州和联邦政府机构的专业人士进行交流。全球变化科学的进步需要一种跨学科的方法，将地质学、水文学和生态学的基础研究与工程、城市生态学和政策方面的应用科学和社会科学研究结合起来。这个REU/RET项目将提供学科培训和合作经验，以培养未来具有强大内容理解能力的综合科学家和科学教师。它为拥有有限研究资源的大学本科生提供基础研究和科学成果传播方面的培训，以及实践学习和更广泛的科学职业选择。该计划将为5-12年级的科学教师提供对科学研究本质的理解和广泛的内容知识。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Undergraduate students and K-12 teachers in University of Texas Environmental Science Institute's combined REU/RET program will work in the research groups of faculty mentors working on scientific topics related to The Integrated Science of Global Change and Its Impacts. The program is focused on global change, defined as the processes of climate change and land use/land cover change and their impacts upon ecosystems and water. An emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary perspectives that integrate diverse fields such as paleoecology, geology, ecology, atmospheric science, urban ecology, policy, engineering, hydrology, and marine biology. Group workshops and field trips will familiarize students and teachers with this interdisciplinary approach and faculty mentors, their graduate students and post-doctoral fellows will guide students in the development of independent research projects. The goal of this independent research is a scientific publication or presentation at a scientific meeting. Professional development opportunities will include visits with professionals in environmental consulting firms and state and federal government agencies. Advancements in global change science require an interdisciplinary approach that combines basic research in geology, hydrology, and ecology, with applied and social science studies in engineering, urban ecology, and policy. This REU/RET program will provide the disciplinary training and collaborative experiences necessary to develop future integrative scientists and science teachers with strong content understanding. It provides undergraduates from colleges with limited research resources with training in basic research and dissemination of scientific results, as well as hands-on learning and broader exposure to science career options. The program will provide grade 5-12 science teachers with an understanding of the nature of scientific research and broad-based content knowledge.