REU QUEST (Research Experience for Undergraduates in QUantitative Environmental Science and Technology)

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This REU Site award to Grand Valley State University, located in Muskegon, Michigan, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2015-2017. The program emphasizes two themes: understanding freshwater systems and their catchments, and applying quantitative methods in research. Its main components are individual student-oriented research projects, faculty mentoring, peer interactions, development of communication skills, and development of quantitative skills. Students also will receive training in the ethics of science and responsible conduct of research, use of library resources, career planning, and resume writing. Research areas include lake and stream metabolism, carbon and nutrient biogeochemistry, transformative/comparative immunology of freshwater organisms, molecular ecology, fish population dynamics, harmful algal blooms, environmental chemistry, remote sensing, watershed analysis, and more. Research equipment available to students includes, for example, a monitoring buoy on Muskegon Lake, flow cytometer, gene sequencer, analytical instruments for environmental chemistry, and indoor mesocosm facility. The summer program concludes with a research symposium where students present their findings. Program success will be evaluated using both the BIO REU common assessment tool and an external evaluator. The program is open to all bright, adequately prepared undergraduates throughout the nation, with extra emphasis on recruiting from groups underrepresented in the biological sciences. Student applications are completed online at the website listed below and include evidence of adequate academic preparation, an essay, and a faculty letter of recommendation.It is anticipated that over the 3-year period of the grant, a total of 30 students primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences.A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by visiting www.gvsu.edu/wri/mcnair/reuquest or by contacting the PI (Dr. James McNair at mcnairja@gvsu.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Kevin Strychar at strychak@gvsu.edu).