REU Site: Summer Research Experience on the Impacts of Land Use and Land Cover in the Upper Green River Watershed of Western Kentucky, USA

西肯塔基大学被授予NSF奖，以建立本科生研究体验网站(REU)。该REU场地统一的环境主题集中在土地利用和土地覆盖及其对喀斯特水文系统--上游绿河流域水的影响。研究的组成部分都与水质、污染物迁移和近地表大气水循环直接相关。Reu的学生将在西肯塔基大学暑期花10周的时间与生物、化学或地理和地质系的教师导师一起工作。学生将在实验室学习标准的现场技术，收集样本和分析数据。此外，他们还将分析现有的环境数据集。来自肯塔基州数学和科学学院的八名本科生和四名学生将参加这个REU网站。学院为有天赋的高三学生和高年级学生提供进修学习的机会。每个学生将开发一个与上游绿河流域土地利用和土地覆盖的影响相关的研究项目。上游绿河养育了大量的鱼类、大型无脊椎动物和淡水贻贝，其中许多只存在于分水岭的这一部分。此外，还有一些珍稀濒危洞穴栖息的无脊椎动物物种从未被完全识别。这一敏感生态系统中土地利用/土地覆盖的变化使这些问题进一步复杂化，包括水文和大气反应。学生参与者还将有机会讨论与数据收集和使用、实验设计、专业标准以及环境研究可能对社会产生的更广泛影响有关的伦理问题。这一提议的更广泛影响首先由本科生进行创造性的科学研究调查，并相应地促进培训和学习。其次，阿巴拉契亚贫困学生的招生重点显然扩大了代表不足的群体的参与。

The University of Western Kentucky has been granted an NSF award to establish a Research Experience for Undergraduates Site (REU). The unifying environmental theme of this REU site is focused on land use and land cover and its impacts on water in the Upper Green River Watershed, a karst hydrologic system. The research components are all directly related to water quality, contaminant transport, and near surface atmospheric water cycling. REU students will spend 10 weeks during summer at Western Kentucky University working with a faculty mentor from the Department of Biology, Chemistry, or Geography and Geology. Students will learn in standard field techniques, collect samples and analyze data in the laboratory. In addition, they will also analyze existing environmental data sets. Eight undergraduates and four students from the Kentucky Math and Science Academy will participate in this REU site. The Academy provides advanced academic opportunities for gifted high school juniors and seniors. Each student will develop a research project linked to the impacts of land use and land cover in the Upper Green River Basin. The Upper Green River supports a great biodiversity of fish, macroinvertebrates and freshwater mussels, many of which exist only in this part of the watershed. In addition, there are rare and endangered cave-dwelling invertebrate species that have never been fully identified. The change in Land Use/Land Cover in this sensitive ecosystem further complicates these issues, including hydrologic and atmospheric responses. The student participants will also be provided opportunities to discuss ethical issues related to collection and use of data, experimental design, professional standards, and the broader impacts that environmental research may have on society. The broader impacts of this proposal are first addressed by the creative scientific research investigations undertaken by undergraduates with the corresponding promotion of training and learning. Secondly, the recruitment focus of disadvantaged students from Appalachia clearly broadens the participation of underrepresented groups.