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

REU 网站：美国肯塔基州西部绿河上游流域土地利用和土地覆盖影响的夏季研究经验

• 批准号: 1004655
• 负责人: Cathleen Webb
• 金额: $ 34.98万
• 依托单位: Western Kentucky University Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-06-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1004655&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; Summer; Research; Experience

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.

西肯塔基大学已获得美国国家科学基金会 (NSF) 奖项，用于建立本科生研究体验网站 (REU)。该 REU 场地的统一环境主题侧重于土地利用和土地覆盖及其对绿河上游流域（喀斯特水文系统）水的影响。研究内容均与水质、污染物迁移和近地表大气水循环直接相关。 REU 学生将在暑假期间在西肯塔基大学度过 10 周的时间，与来自生物、化学或地理和地质学系的导师一起工作。 学生将学习标准现场技术、收集样本并在实验室分析数据。 此外，他们还将分析现有的环境数据集。 来自肯塔基州数学与科学学院的八名本科生和四名学生将参加该 REU 网站。 该学院为有天赋的高中三年级和四年级学生提供先进的学术机会。 每个学生将开发一个与绿河流域上游土地利用和土地覆盖影响相关的研究项目。格林河上游拥有丰富的鱼类、大型无脊椎动物和淡水贻贝的生物多样性，其中许多仅存在于流域的这个部分。 此外，还有一些从未被完全识别的珍稀濒危洞穴无脊椎动物物种。这个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，包括水文和大气响应。 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相关的伦理问题。 该提案的更广泛影响首先通过本科生进行的创造性科学研究以及相应的培训和学习促进来解决。 其次，招生重点是来自阿巴拉契亚的弱势学生，这显然扩大了弱势群体的参与范围。