RAPID-REU Site: Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Undergraduate Research Training in the Biosciences

2019冠状病毒病大流行给本科生研究经验（REU）项目的本科生研究培训造成了前所未有的中断。REU项目的大量取消导致本科生被剥夺了智力和职业发展的机会，他们本可以在REU项目中获得。由于其他联邦和私人机构资助的类似本科生实习项目的关闭，情况进一步恶化。由于新冠肺炎疫情，大学生们缺乏有意义的暑期工作，因此几乎没有其他选择。这种情况对少数族裔学生来说尤其严重，他们在STEM领域的代表性不足一直是美国面临的一个挑战。这项RAPID提案有助于减轻COVID-19大流行对美洲原住民和其他代表性不足的少数民族学生的影响。蒙大拿州立大学周边地区的学生将获得环境生物科学领域的研究机会，包括新冠肺炎相关领域的研究。这些项目的设计使学生可以远程进行研究。专业发展培训将通过定期安排的活动进行，类似于学生在现场培训项目中接受的培训。这项RAPID提案将通过可以远程进行的项目，让代表性不足的少数民族学生参与研究。研究项目包括在蒙大拿州管理的废水处理系统中对SARS-CoV-2病毒进行量化，初步研究表明，可以使用标准的CDC SARS-CoV-2病毒检测试剂盒方案检测病毒载量。水样的宏基因组分析可作为病毒社区传播的指标，并可成为公共卫生官员的监测工具之一。其他项目涉及对蒙大拿州美洲印第安人保留地有益的研究，例如对黑脚保留地重新引入野牛的影响和益处的生态学研究，对保留地土地上管理农场的生物多样性、生态系统服务和作物质量的研究，以及微生物群落在土壤中砷的植物修复中的作用。学生将接受数据分析和建模工具使用方面的培训。学生将从部落学院和蒙大拿州的其他大学和学院招募。学生的专业发展将强调道德和负责任的研究行为，STEM职业和有效的科学交流。在为期10周的课程结束时，学生们将在一个虚拟会议上展示他们的研究成果。该项目由生物基础设施部和刺激竞争性研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）支持。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption in the research training of undergraduates thru the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program. Massive cancellations of REU Sites caused undergraduates to be deprived of both the intellectual and professional development opportunities they would have received in an REU program. The situation is further aggravated by the closures of similar undergraduate internship programs sponsored by other Federal and private agencies. The lack of meaningful summer jobs due to the pandemic provides little alternatives for college students. The situation is particularly acute for minority students whose underrepresentation in STEM has been a continuing challenge for the Nation. This RAPID proposal helps to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native American and other underrepresented minority students. Research opportunities in environmental biosciences, including research in COVID-19 related area, will be made available to students in the regional areas surrounding Montana State University. The projects have been designed so that students can conduct the research remotely. Professional development training will be done virtually thru regularly scheduled events, similar to what the students would receive in an in-person training program. This RAPID proposal will engage underrepresented minority students in research thru projects that can be conducted remotely. Research projects include the quantification of SARS-CoV-2 virus in a managed wastewater treatment system in Montana, where preliminary studies have shown that viral load can be detected using a standard CDC test kit protocol for SARS-CoV-2 virus. The metagenomic analysis of the water samples can be used as an indicator of community spread of the virus and can become one of the surveillance tools for public health officials. Other projects involve research that would benefit American Indian reservations in Montana, such as the ecological study of the impacts and benefits of bison reintroduction on the Blackfeet reservation, studies on biodiversity, ecosystem services and crop quality on managed farms on reservation lands, and the role of microbial communities in the phytoremediation of arsenic in soil. Students will be trained on the analysis of data and use of modeling tools. Students will be recruited from tribal colleges and other Montana universities and colleges. Student professional development will emphasize ethics and the responsible conduct of research, careers in STEM, and effective scientific communication. Students present their research at a virtual conference at the end of the 10-week program. This project is supported by the Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.