REU Site: Coastal Research in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) at UMass Boston

马萨诸塞大学波士顿分校环境学院将开设一个本科生体验研究(REU)网站。该项目名为“沿海环境科学与技术研究(CREST)”REU项目，每年夏天将有8名本科生到波士顿进行为期10周的实习。该奖项为CREST REU计划(2020-2022年)提供三年的支持。CREST为学生提供一个跨越生态、环境和社会科学的跨学科项目，为学生提供沿海环境研究经验。沿海生态系统被认为比任何其他生态系统为人类提供的服务都要多得不成比例，然而，它们受到了严重的“邪恶问题”的影响。人为压力正在推动生境丧失或转换(例如沿海开发、渔业、土木工程)、生境退化(例如富营养化、污染、气候变化和海平面上升)以及对沿海资源的过度开发(例如直接捕捞超过可持续水平)。人们对沿海系统如何作出反应知之甚少，需要来自自然科学和社会科学研究的数据才能纳入决策进程。CREST实习生可以获得的研究经验包括：化学、地质学和地球科学、生态学和分子生态学，以及社会、行为、经济学和可持续发展科学等高需求领域。需要在培训和视角方面代表多样性的环境专业人员，CREST试图通过向年轻学生介绍跨学科研究来满足对这些高素质专业人员的需求，从而降低跨学科边界的惯性，并增加学生在不同环境中工作的舒适感。该计划的目标包括培训学者在海洋学方面的跨学科研究方法，同时培养他们对沿海问题和研究的兴趣，并建立他们对科学能力和交流的信心。为支持跨学科培训，CREST包括为期一天的迎新计划；系列研讨会；专业发展研讨会(科学交流、负责任的研究行为、申请研究生院等)；以及旨在将学生纳入大学社区的活动。CREST计划在沿海环境科学领域提供独特的跨学科培训。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The University of Massachusetts Boston, School for the Environment will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site. The program is called the "Coastal Research in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST)" REU program and will bring eight undergraduates to Boston each summer for a ten-week internship. The award provides support for three years of the CREST REU Program (2020-2022).CREST provides students with coastal environmental research experiences in a transdisciplinary program that cuts across the ecological, environmental, and social sciences. Coastal ecosystems are considered to disproportionately produce more services to humans than any other ecosystems, however, they suffer greatly from “wicked problems.” Anthropogenic pressures are driving habitat loss or conversion (e.g. coastal development, fisheries, civil engineering), habitat degradation (e.g. eutrophication, pollution, climate change and sea level rise), and overexploitation of coastal resources (e.g. direct takes exceeding sustainable levels). How coastal systems respond is poorly understood and data from natural science and social science research is needed for integration into the decision-making process. The research experiences available to CREST interns include high need areas to address these “wicked” problems including the fields of chemistry, geology and earth science, ecology and molecular ecology, and social, behavioral, economics, and sustainability science. Environmental professionals representing diversity in training and perspective are needed and CREST seeks to fill the need for these highly qualified professionals by introducing younger students to transdisciplinary research, thereby lowering the inertia of crossing disciplinary boundaries and increasing the comfort of students in working in diverse settings.Program goals include training scholars in transdisciplinary research approaches in oceanography while fostering their interest in coastal issues and research and building their confidence in science aptitude and communication. To support the transdisciplinary training, CREST includes a day long orientation program; a seminar series; professional development workshops (scientific communications, responsible conduct of research, applying to graduate school, etc.); and activities designed to integrate students into the University community. The CREST program provides unique transdisciplinary training in the coastal environmental sciences.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.