IRES: Water-Soil-Vegetation Dynamic Interrelationships in a Typical Eurasian Steppe Watershed in China

通过这个国际研究经验的学生（IRES）项目，美国学生将进行研究需要制定解决方案，以可持续的草地农业。 学生将体验中国内蒙古草原的生活。 美国学生将与内蒙古农业大学的同行和导师合作，研究水文、表土侵蚀和植被退化在典型草原草原中的相互关系。 该项目将为学生未来的STEM职业做好准备。 该项目的目的是给美国学生一个跨学科和国际研究的机会，重点是影响草原的物理机制。 三个小组将与他们的中国同龄人和导师一起工作12周。 由本科生、硕士生和博士生组成的团队将开发新的算法并增强现有的模型。 学生将做实地和实验室工作，以开发表土和初级生产的新模块。 研究活动将包括模拟一系列情景，以确定引发草原退化的阈值条件。 美国学生将培养同伴指导技能，并了解内蒙古独特的文化和传统。

Through this International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project, U.S. students will conduct research needed to develop solutions to sustainable grassland agriculture. Students will experience life in the Inner Mongolian steppe of China. U.S. students will work with counterparts and mentors from the Inner Mongolia Agricultural University to study how hydrology, topsoil erosion, and vegetation degradation are interrelated in typical steppe grasslands. This project will prepare students for future STEM careers. The aim of the project is to give U.S. students an interdisciplinary and international research opportunity focused on the physical mechanisms affecting grasslands. Three cohorts will spend twelve weeks working with their Chinese peers and mentors. The teams of undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students will develop new algorithms and enhance an existing model. Students will do field and laboratory work to develop new modules on topsoil and primary production. The research activities will include simulating a range of scenarios to identify threshold conditions that trigger grassland degradation. The U.S. students will build peer-mentoring skills and learn about the unique culture and traditions of Inner Mongolia.