REU Site: Field Research in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory

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A Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Sites award has been made to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) that will provide research training for 10 students, for 10 weeks during the summers of 2013- 2017. Projects are focused on ecological and evolutionary questions requiring significant fieldwork. Depending upon the mentors, projects may be interdisciplinary in nature (e.g. integrating field geology or molecular techniques with field biology. Students conduct independent research under one of RMBL's approximately 25 scientists, with access to a diversity of field sites, ranging from desert habitat to mountaintops. Students also participate in a range of activities designed to help them become active scientists, such as attending RMBL seminar series, participating in a journal club, and sessions involving the responsible conduct of research and career development. Participants attend sessions on how to conduct a research project, including sessions on experimental design and statistics, preparing proposals, giving oral presentations, and writing scientific papers. RMBL recruits students digitally, through its website and the NSF website, as well as through active recruitment by faculty and alumni at colleges and universities throughout the US. Students are selected based upon financial need, potential impact of the program on the student, scientific promise and demonstrated interest in doing a field project. RMBL actively works to expand representation in the sciences by prioritizing selection of students of ethnicities that are underrepresented in the sciences. Students are tracked to determine their continued interest in their academic field of study, their career paths, and the lasting influences of the research experience. The program is assessed through the REU common assessment tool, as well as data from the longitudinal tracking. More information is available by visiting rmbl.org/education , or by contacting RMBL?s Science Director, Dr. Jennifer Reithel, sd@rmbl.org.