REU Site: Studies in Social Inequality and Social Vulnerability

德克萨斯农工大学的本科生研究体验(REU)站点项目旨在吸引本科生投身社会科学研究，并增加来自代表性不足群体(例如，非裔美国人和拉丁裔)的有才华的个人的参与。社会学系(SOCI)和景观设计与城市规划系(LAUP)合作主办了这个REU网站，该网站邀请社会学、规划和相关学科的本科生参加为期八周的暑期学院，重点是不平等和社会脆弱性的研究。小学生的活动是参加教员指导的研究项目，以撰写研究论文并在专业会议上发表演讲，而支持活动包括一个研讨会，提供与研究项目相关的理论、数据和方法基础；两次研究实地考察；以及关于研究生教育和研究职业机会的研讨会。该网站的主题“社会不平等和社会脆弱性的研究”反映了来自Soci&amp；Laup的研究人员导师的专业知识，并被证明在吸引非裔美国人和拉美裔学生的申请方面是有效的。这八位研究导师拥有强大的研究和指导资历，以及在监督成功的NSF、REU和SBE项目方面的经验。学生被纳入导师正在进行的研究计划中，并被分配给个人研究项目。选定的例子包括：按种族和贫穷收入状况记录社会经济、居住和健康结果的差异；评估社会群体对自然和技术灾害的不同脆弱性；评估灾害(如飓风和洪水)如何对少数民族、低收入和其他弱势群体产生不同影响；调查按种族和收入划分的居住隔离的相互关系、原因和后果；对选定城市居住隔离随时间的演变进行历史案例研究；以及评估灾害影响后恢复的变化。多样性目标将通过在以前成功的REU站点中使用的做法来实现。这些措施包括与少数族裔服务大学的教职员工密切合作，这些大学的STEM学生研究机会有限，以确定对研究生教育和研究职业感兴趣的有前途、有动力的学生。拟议的REU网站利用两个全国知名博士系的教师专业知识和机构资源，通过参与正在进行的与社会不平等和社会脆弱性有关的研究项目，为学生提供密集的研究体验，其中一些项目由NSF资助。学生们在教师导师的指导下进行个人项目，设计成在暑期学院期间可行，并在高级本科生的能力范围内。尽管学生项目对科学的直接贡献可能不大，但更大的智力价值是提高学生的研究能力、对研究的理解和兴趣，以及继续研究生教育和研究职业的机会。

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program at Texas A & M University aims to attract undergraduates to careers in social science research and to increase the participation of talented individuals from under-represented groups (e.g., African Americans and Latinos). The Departments of Sociology (SOCI) and Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning (LAUP) collaborate to host this REU Site that brings undergraduate students majoring in sociology, planning, and related disciplines to participate in an eight-week Summer Institute focusing on Studies of Inequality and Social Vulnerability. The primary student activities are participating in a faculty-supervised research project leading to a research paper and presentation at a professional conference, while upporting activities include a seminar providing grounding in theory, data, and methods relevant for research projects; two research field trips; and workshops on opportunities for graduate education and research careers. The site theme "Studies of Social Inequality and Social Vulnerability" reflects the expertise of the researcher mentors from SOCI & LAUP and is proven effective in attracting applications from African American and Latino students. The eight research mentors have strong research and mentoring credentials and prior experience in overseeing successful NSF REU and SBE programs. Students are incorporated into the ongoing research programs of the mentors and assigned individual research projects. Selected examples include: documenting disparities in socioeconomic, residential, and health outcomes by race and poverty-income status; assessing differential vulnerability of social groups to natural and technical hazards; assessing how hazards (e.g., hurricanes and floods) differentially impact ethnic minority, low income, and other vulnerable populations; investigating correlates, causes, and consequences of residential segregation by race and income; conducting historical case studies of the evolution of residential segregation over time in selected cities; and assessing variation in recovery from the impact of hazards. Diversity goals will be served by practices used in prior successful REU Sites. These include working closely with faculty at minority serving universities that have limited STEM student research opportunities to identify promising, motivated students with interests in graduate education and research careers. The proposed REU Site draws on the faculty expertise and institutional resources of two nationally prominent doctoral departments to provide students intensive research experiences based on participating in ongoing research projects, some funded by NSF, relating to social inequality and social vulnerability. Students undertake individual projects directed by faculty mentors and designed to be feasible over the summer institute and within the capabilities of advanced undergraduates. Although the mmediate contributions of student projects to science could be modest, the larger intellectual merit is enhancing student research capabilities, understanding of and interest in research, and odds of going on to graduate education and research careers.