REU Site: Studies in ecology, environmental and conservation biology in Ghana, West Africa

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An award has been made to Virginia Tech that will provide research training for 8 weeks for 6 students, during the summers of 2011- 2015. The award, which is also supported by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering, supports the continuation of the international Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana that has taken place in the past 8 years. The program focuses on ecology, ethnobotany, biodiversity and conservation and environmental biology in the tropics. The students will work on defined research projects under the mentorship of Ghanaian scientists and faculty members. Students will be selected based on their academic record and motivation to attend graduate school. This program has two main research foci: i) bioprospecting for potentially useful plants and ii) ecological and biodiversity studies. Students will design experiments in collaboration with their mentors, collect and analyze their data, and present their results in Ghana. They will conduct full time research during the weekdays and attend seminars and group discussions during the evenings. Over the weekends, field trips will be made (such as to the Mole game reserve, the Kakum National forest, and the Kakum estuary) to provide the students with additional experience that will enhance their understanding of ecology and conservation. Upon their return to the US, students will make presentations at regional and national meetings. Participants will acquire skills in ethnobotany, tropical biology, aquaculture, ecology, entomology, taxonomy and analytical chemistry. They will be expected to publish their results in peer-reviewed journals. The ecological studies will yield new and valuable information on tropical species of insects and plants that may not have been described in the literature yet. Data gathered in the project will also contribute towards an inventory of potentially endangered species and conservation studies. Participants will have an invaluable cross-cultural experience. Students will be tracked through annual surveys and the program will be evaluated using various methods including the REU common assessment tool. More information is available at http://www.undergraduate.vt.edu/GhanaREU/ or by contacting the PI (Dr. Daniel Wubah at wubah@vt.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Judith Wubah at jawubah@vt.edu).