REU Site: UTEP-ROCCS (University of Texas at El Paso - Research Opportunities for Community College Students)

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This project will provide field and laboratory based research opportunities for 2-year college (2YC) students focusing on a variety of geologic problems in the El Paso region. The 2YC students will be mentored by University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and El Paso Community College (EPCC) faculty and undergraduate students who have had research experiences and will be trained as student mentors. The summer experience will involve 4 weeks in El Paso followed by 4 weeks at their home institutions with intensive virtual mentoring. The research projects will focus on how the geology and morphology of the El Paso region influence local soil development, surface and groundwater hydrology, and landscape evolution, as well as evolution of the southern Rio Grande Rift. The project will use a model for cognitive change related to social interactions to determine which on-site activities were the most successful at increasing collaboration and the knowledge/skills base of the 2YC students. The model will also assess the quality and degree of interaction between the 2YC participants and their faculty or student mentors. Few REU programs in geosciences specifically target 2YC students to conduct research outside of their community. Thus this REU will serve as a model for other institutions to involve 2YC students in REU projects and the training materials developed will be helpful to other institutions wishing to recruit and retain 2YC students.