REU Site: Understanding Arctic as a System

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This project will contribute toward building research capacity of future arctic science through teaching and training of undergraduate students in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team actively involved in Arctic system research. Students will bring the acquired experience back to their communities and spread the message about the exciting science that is done in the Arctic. Focusing on under-represented minorities will help broaden the base of the future arctic science workforce. Interdisciplinary educational materials that
result from the summer experiences will be made available to a broad scientific community. The Arctic climate is changing and an integrated cross-disciplinary approach
is needed to understand and explain changes in the Arctic and their implications. Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will establish a new REU site to attract undergraduates, including students from minority groups, to arctic sciences. The overarching goal of the project is to disseminate new knowledge and discoveries at the
frontiers of polar science and ignite the enthusiasm of the undergraduates about the Arctic,
thus contributing to the development of a diverse and environmentally educated U.S. science
and engineering workforce. The science focus of this program will be on understanding Arctic as a system with emphasis on its physical components. The goals will be achieved by organizing summer research experience for undergraduates during which students will be involved in research and educational projects with their mentors and take advantage of collaboration with the proposing team. Pre- and post- summer experience surveys will provide metrics of success. The intellectual merit of this effort lies in focusing on the interdisciplinarity and the systems approach
to understanding the Arctic environment. The proposed program of summer experience will provide the participating students with the current state of knowledge about the Arctic. The students
will benefit from close interaction with their mentors who are actively involved in ongoing
research and fieldwork in their disciplines. While each student (or group of students) will
be involved in a separate project, they will be also provided with a broad context of Arctic
system science. In addition to regular classroom teaching students will be involved in field
trips and hands-on activities linked to research projects of their mentors. Each of the summer
visits to Fairbanks will culminate in a workshop and a discussion between students and instructors, in which the students will present their results and will have an opportunity to synthesize
about current problems of Arctic climate.