REU Site: Dynamics of aridland ecosystems in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

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This REU Site award to the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2017- 2019. Research is conducted in and around the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge and focused on aridland ecology and ecohydrology. Program mentors come from the departments of Biology, Earth and Planetary Sciences and Civil Engineering, along with staff from the US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Students may pursue independent research in a wide range of topics in population (e.g. invasive species), community (e.g., competition, dynamics, microbial diversity) and ecosystem ecology (e.g., net primary production, decomposition) in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Students will participate in a boot camp plus seminars, a journal club, and workshops on responsible conduct of research, communication skills, career opportunities, and the graduate school application process. Applications from students early in their undergraduate career and those with limited research opportunities at their home institution are especially encouraged. Recruitment occurs via digital distribution of recruiting materials, well-known student job posting sites, as well as recruiting visits to local minority serving institutions. Students are selected based on academic record and coursework, letter of application, motivation, career goals, letters of recommendation, phone interviews, and potential for conducting independent research. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. At the end of each summer students present their results in an annual symposium, and some students may also present their research at regional or national scientific meetings. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. Participants are also tracked by Facebook and email to follow their career paths. More information is available at https://sevilletareu.wordpress.com/ and by contacting the Recruiting Coordinator (Ms Stephanie Baker at srbaker@unm.edu) or the PI (Dr. Scott L. Collins at scollins@sevilleta.unm.edu).