REU Site: Indigenous America to Indigenous Mekong - Adventures in Biology and Biodiversity

这个REU网站奖（由国际科学与工程办公室共同资助）给位于阿肯色州费耶特维尔的阿肯色州大学，将支持8名学生在2018-2020年夏季进行10周的培训。 研究将在东南亚湄公河下游盆地的两个国家进行，具体而言，越南和泰国（交替年份）。 学生将从事气候科学，微生物学，民族植物学，水生生物学（鱼类，微藻和水生植物），生物燃料科学和小型哺乳动物生态学研究的项目。总体主题涉及食品，能源和水系统。学生将接受在研究，实验室和现场安全，科学写作负责任的行为的培训。谁是美国公民，美国国民，或永久居民的学生有资格申请。 虽然GPA和学习成绩将是选择时考虑的一个因素，但强烈鼓励任何高潜力的本科生，特别是那些来自经济弱势社区的学生，以及那些来自历史上在科学领域代表性不足的群体的学生，无论GPA如何，都要申请。 预计共有24名学生，主要来自研究机会有限的学校，将在该方案中接受培训。学生将学习如何进行研究，许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。我们的目标是使用这个网站程序作为提高学生的理论和技术技能的方法，以促进在干学士学位课程的成功完成，无论是录取研究生课程或进入各自的研究领域的成功职业生涯。一个共同的网络-由生物基础设施部资助的所有REU现场项目使用的基于评估的工具将用于确定培训计划。学生将在课程结束后进行跟踪，以确定他们的职业道路。学生将被要求通过NSF报告系统自动发送电子邮件。 欲了解更多信息，请访问http://fulbright.uark.edu/departments/biology/undergraduate/mekong-reu或直接联系PI（Ruben Michael Ceballos博士，网址：ceballos@uark.edu）。

This REU Site award (co-funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering) to the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, AR, will support the training of 8 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2018-2020. Research will be conducted in two countries of the Lower Mekong Basin in Southeast Asia, specifically, Vietnam and Thailand (in alternating years). Students will engage in projects focused on research in climate science, microbiology, ethnobotany, aquatic biology (fish, microalgae, and aquatic plants), biofuels sciences, and small mammal ecology. The overarching theme relates to Food, Energy, and Water systems. Students will receive training in responsible conduct in research, lab and field safety, and scientific writing. Students who are U.S. citizens, US nationals, or permanent residents are eligible to apply. Although GPA and academic performance will be one factor considered in selection, any high-potential undergraduates especially those from economically-disadvantaged communities and those from groups which have been historically underrepresented in the sciences are strongly encouraged to apply regardless of GPA. It is anticipated that a total of 24 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. The goal is to use this Site program as a method of enhancing the theoretical and technical skills of the students to facilitate successful completion of bachelor's programs in STEM and either admissions into graduate programs or entry into successful careers in their respective fields of study.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 tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about this is available by visiting http://fulbright.uark.edu/departments/biology/undergraduate/mekong-reu or by directly contacting the PI (Dr. Ruben Michael Ceballos at ceballos@uark.edu).