REU Site: Population, community and ecosystem dynamics in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

该REU网站授予新墨西哥州阿尔伯克基新墨西哥大学，将在2020-2022年夏季支持9名学生的10周培训。预计将有27名主要来自代表性不足的群体和研究机会有限的学校的学生参加该项目的培训。学生将学习如何在教师导师的指导下进行独立研究，大多数学生将在地区和国家会议上展示他们的研究成果。学生的职业道路通过社交媒体（如塞维利亚塔REU Facebook页面）和电子邮件进行跟踪，以确定他们对学术研究领域的持续兴趣以及这种研究经历的持久影响。该计划的评估将通过在线SALG URSSA工具进行。塞维利亚REU计划的总体目标是提供高质量的研究经验，作为一种机制，以增加在实地科学中代表性不足的群体的参与。REU站点计划侧重于旱地环境中的旱地生态，包括人口、社区和生态系统水平的研究。该计划在塞维利亚国家野生动物保护区的新墨西哥大学野外站（http://sevfs.unm.edu/）进行，位于新墨西哥州阿尔伯克基以南约80公里处。新墨西哥大学生物系、美国鱼类和野生动物管理局以及美国林业局共有大约25名处于不同职业阶段的科学家作为研究导师参与了该计划。学生可以在水生和陆地栖息地的人口、社区和生态系统生态学（包括土壤和微生物生态学）等广泛的潜在主题中进行独立研究，特别关注生态学和保护生物学。该站点还包括许多长期降雨控制实验，为夏季研究项目提供了理想的模板。除了他们的研究项目，学生们还将参加一个干旱区生态学训练营，外加每周的研讨会、一个期刊俱乐部，以及关于负责任的研究行为、专业和公共沟通技巧、职业机会、生态学数据木工讲习班和研究生申请过程的讲习班。学生还将有机会参观该地区的自然和文化地区。REU的学生可以进入丰富的森林、草地、灌木、河岸和水生栖息地。位于避难所的新墨西哥大学野外研究站和新墨西哥大学主校区都提供舒适的住房和出色的实验室设施。该项目的多阶段招聘工作包括通过数字媒体、知名学生招聘网站广泛分发招聘材料，以及对当地少数民族服务机构进行招聘访问。学生由PI和项目协调员根据学业成绩和课程、申请信、过去的研究经验、职业目标、推荐信、电话面试以及在干旱环境中进行独立研究的潜力来选择。欲了解更多信息，请访问https://sevilletareu.wordpress.com/或与招聘协调员（Stephanie Baker女士srbaker@unm.edu）或PI （Scott L. Collins博士scollins@unm.edu）联系。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

This REU Site award to the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, will support the training of 9 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020-2022. It is anticipated that 27 students primarily from underrepresented groups and from schools with limited research opportunities will be trained in the program. Students will learn how to conduct independent research under the guidance of a faculty mentor, and most students will present the results of their research at regional and national conferences. Student career paths are tracked by social media such as the Sevilleta REU Facebook page and via email to determine their continued interest in their academic field of study and the lasting influences of this research experience. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. The overarching goal of the Sevilleta REU program is to provide a quality research experience as a mechanism to increase participation among underrepresented groups in field based science. The REU Site program focuses on aridland ecology – including population, community and ecosystem level research - in a dryland environment. The program occurs at the UNM Field Station (http://sevfs.unm.edu/) in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, located about 80 km south of Albuquerque, NM. The UNM Department of Biology, US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Forest Service together have around 25 scientists in various career stages participating as research mentors in the program. Students may pursue independent research in a wide range of potential topics in population, community and ecosystem ecology (including soils and microbial ecology), in aquatic and terrestrial habitats, with a specific focus on ecology and conservation biology. The site also includes a number of long-term rainfall manipulation experiments that provide an ideal template for summer research projects. In addition to their research project, students will participate in an aridland ecology boot camp plus weekly seminars, a journal club, and workshops on the responsible conduct of research, professional and public communication skills, career opportunities, data carpentry workshop for ecology, and the graduate school application process. Students will also have opportunities to visit natural and cultural areas in the region. REU students have access to a rich array of forest, grassland, shrubland, riparian and aquatic habitats. Comfortable housing and outstanding laboratory facilities are provided at the UNM Field Research Station located in the Refuge as well as on the UNM Main Campus. The program's multi-phase recruitment effort consists of wide distribution of recruiting materials via digital media, well-known student job posting sites, as well as recruiting visits to local minority serving institutions. Students are selected by the PI and Program Coordinator based on academic record and coursework, letter of application, past research experience, career goals, letters of recommendation, phone interviews, and potential for conducting independent research in an aridland environment. More information is available by visiting 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@unm.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.