REU Site: Place-based Conservation Science in Hawaiian Ecosystems

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This REU Site award to University of Hawaii at Hilo, located in Hilo, HI, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2018-2020. The REU program places primary emphasis on tropical ecological research in degraded ecosystems. Interns will participate in professional development, field trips, and outreach, attend the State's annual conservation science conference, and prepare an oral presentation and final paper. This work is expected to spark the research careers for the next generation of environmental problem-solvers through intensive writing training, solution-oriented research topics, and a supportive program structure. The program concentrates on the health and restoration of degraded ecosystems by investigating the spatial spread of degradation as well as ecosystem functioning of resilient communities. The primary focus will be on attracting students with a passion for the environment and nurturing the confidence, skill set and ability to effect positive change and pursue a viable career in this field. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily underrepresented minority students (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander in particular), first-generation college students, and students with little to no research experience, will work with a diverse team of faculty mentors on projects focused on the ecology of degraded landscapes. Students will learn how research is conducted, and present the results of their work at an internal symposium as well as at scientific conferences.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 as well as multiple internal methods. 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 the program is available by visiting http://hilo.hawaii.edu/uhintern, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Ostertag at ostertag@hawaii.edu), co-PI (Dr. Puniwai-Ganoot at npuniwai@hawaii.edu), or project coordinators (Linnea Heu and Rita Miller at uhintern@hawaii.edu).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.