REU Site: Tampa Interdisciplinary Environmental Research

这个为期三年的REU网站续订项目的目标是为南佛罗里达大学(USF)工程学院、艺术与科学学院、公共卫生学院和教育学院环境相关领域的二年级和三年级本科生提供良好的研究和专业发展经验。它借鉴了首席调查员于2009年启动的REU网站的经验，并提炼了水、能源、材料和人类之间关系的基本研究主题，特别强调坦帕湾地区。REU的目标是：1)培训学生参与者进行科学研究所需的技能；2)鼓励学生参与者在与环境相关的研究领域攻读高级学位；3)鼓励学生考虑围绕其研究的伦理问题以及研究对维持健康社区的贡献；4)建立一个可持续的机制，扩大未被充分代表的群体在学术研究中的参与；5)促进研究生和REU学生之间的指导；以及6)创建一个协作社区，致力于在促进教师研究的活动中指导和建议本科生。36名学生将直接得到助学金的资助，其中6名学生将被列入教育研究补充资金。另外三名学生将通过USF工程学院面向拉丁美洲和加勒比地区的学生开展外展项目。它涉及来自6个不同系和4个不同学院的14名研究人员导师。教师和研究生将通过个人研究项目和小组会议、研究研讨会和实地考察、口头和海报演示、学生讨论、社交和社区活动、技术和专业培训研讨会以及在线社交媒体(如博客)与REU学生互动。该项目的更广泛影响是：1)更多的学生进入STEM学科并被STEM学科留住，2)在STEM领域处于有利地位的本科生的多样性增加，3)发展一个意识到道德责任并致力于可持续社区的创新解决方案的研究和指导社区，4)通过互联网(REU-TIER.net)和地方或国家会议分享本科生的研究过程和研究，5)直接支持36名大二/大三学生，并加强14名教师参与者的研究计划，这可能有助于改善世界各地依赖水、能源、材料和人的界面的实践。

The goal of this three year renewal REU site program is to provide a well structured research and professional development experience for sophomore and junior level undergraduate students in environmental related fields in the Colleges of Engineering, Arts and Sciences, Public Health, and Education at the University of South Florida (USF). It builds on the experience with a REU site started in 2009 by the Principal Investigator and refines the underlying research theme to the nexus of water, energy, materials and humans, with a particular emphasis on the Tampa Bay region. The objectives of the REU are to: 1) train student participants in the skills required for scientific research; 2) encourage student participants to pursue an advanced degree in an environmentally related area of research; 3) encourage students to consider the ethical aspects surrounding their research and the contribution of the research to sustaining healthy communities; 4) establish a sustainable mechanism for broadening participation of underrepresented groups in academic research; 5) promote mentoring between graduate and REU students, and 6) create a collaborative community committed to mentoring and advising undergraduate students in activities that advance faculty research. Thirty-six students will be directly supported by the grant, with six included on a supplement for education research. Three more will partake through USF's College of Engineering outreach program to Latin America and the Caribbean students. It involves fourteen research faculty mentors from six different departments and 4 different colleges. Faculty and graduate students will interact with REU students through individual research projects and group meetings, research seminars and field trips, oral and poster presentations, brown-bag student discussions, social and community activities, technical and professional training workshops, and online social media like blogs.The broader impacts of this project are: 1) a larger number of students enrolled in, and retained by STEM disciplines, 2) an increase in the diversity of undergraduates who are well-positioned in the pipeline to graduate school in a STEM field, 3) the development of a research and mentoring community aware of ethical responsibilities and committed to innovative solutions for sustainable communities, 4) the sharing of the undergraduate research process and research through the internet (REU-TIER.net) and local,or national conferences, and 5) the direct support of 36 sophomore/junior level students and enhancements of the research programs of 14 faculty participants that could contribute to improvements in practices throughout the world that depend on the interface of water, energy, materials and humans.