REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates at the National Weather Center

大气与地理科学本科生的真实世界研究经验（REU）将把70名来自美国所有州和地区的本科生带到俄克拉何马州的诺曼进行科学研究，并了解他们可以获得的广泛的职业机会。该计划的核心是一个真实的研究经验，向参与者介绍在俄克拉何马大学诺曼大学研究校园内的天气，气候和雷达组织的一位或多位科学家的指导下进行科学研究。这些组织横跨联邦、州、大学和私营部门团体，共同努力提高我们对天气和气候的认识。REU计划中的其他活动旨在提供全面的体验，帮助参与者确定他们在推进教育和职业方面的下一步。参加者参加研讨会和工作坊，学习前沿科学，并建立他们的研究技能。他们参观天气、气候和雷达相关设施，并能够了解研究科学家一天的生活。在项目结束时，参与者在一个专业会议上与彼此、当地科学界和更大的科学界分享他们的研究项目。这项新提议将有助于以令人兴奋的新方式发展该计划。它将通过开发科学写作研讨会课程来推动该领域的发展，该课程将与REU的其他项目进行试点、改进和广泛共享。它还将通过一项新的实践活动，将参与者与从实验雷达到无人机和气象站等一系列仪器设备联系起来，并向参与者展示融合研究的理念。该项目将利用在线运营2020年项目的经验，为受名额限制的学生提供参与的机会，并让所有参与者与该项目的校友建立更广泛的联系。在过去的20年里，该项目吸引了270多名美国本科生，向他们介绍研究，同时教授他们研究生院和未来职业生涯的宝贵技能。由于这个项目，科研队伍正变得更加公平，一半的参与者是女性，四分之一是少数民族、美国武装部队退伍军人、非传统学生或身体残疾的学生，所有这些人在大气科学领域的代表性都不足。这个项目的大多数校友都获得了研究生学位，现在在气象学或相关领域工作。这个REU已经并将继续通过每年的出版物在个人、地方、大学、州、国家和国际层面产生更广泛的影响，同时也生产或改进数据库和工具，这些数据库和工具不仅对他们自己的研究项目有用。若干参与者的研究成果已用于国家气象局的培训和应急管理行动。该计划建立了一个多元化的科学家社区，对高质量的研究有着深刻的认识，并增加了学术、公共和私营部门之间的合作和融合研究。这些努力有助于培养具有包容性的下一代科学家，以保持美国在天气和气候研究方面的全球领导地位。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 Real-World Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences will bring 70 undergraduate students from all U.S. states and territories to Norman, Oklahoma, to conduct scientific research and learn about the wide range of career opportunities available to them. The heart of the program is an authentic research experience that introduces participants to scientific research under the guidance of one or more scientists in the weather, climate, and radar organizations within the University of Oklahoma-Norman's University Research Campus. These organizations span across Federal, state, university, and private sector groups that work collaboratively to improve our understanding of weather and climate. Additional activities in the REU program are designed to provide a well-rounded experience that help participants determine their next steps in regard to advancing education and careers. Participants attend seminars and workshops to learn about cutting edge science and to build their research skills. They tour weather, climate, and radar-related facilities and are able to learn about a day in the life of a research scientist. At the end of the program, participants share their research projects with each other, the local scientific community, and the larger scientific community at a professional conference. This new proposal will help evolve the program in exciting new ways. It will help to advance the field by developing a Scientific Writing Workshop curriculum that is piloted, refined, and shared widely with other REU programs. It will also connect and expose participants to the idea of convergent research through a new, hands-on activity with a wide array of instrumentation ranging from experimental radars to drones and weather stations. This program will leverage experiences running the 2020 program online to offer place-bound students the opportunity to participate and for all participants to connect more broadly with alumni of the program. Over the past 20 years, this program has brought in more than 270 U.S. undergraduate students, introducing them to research while teaching them valuable skills for graduate school and future careers. The scientific workforce is becoming more equitable because of this program, with half of the participants being female and a quarter being racial and ethnic minorities, veterans of the U.S. armed forces, non-traditional students, or students with a physical disability, all of whom are underrepresented in atmospheric sciences. The majority of this program’s alumni have pursued a graduate degree and now work in meteorology or a related field. This REU has and will continue to have broader impacts at the individual, local, university, state, national, and international level through publications each year while also producing or improving databases and tools useful beyond their own research projects. Several participants' research results have been used for National Weather Service training and emergency management operations. This program builds a diverse community of scientists with a deep appreciation for quality research and increases collaborative and convergent research between the academic, public, and private sectors. These efforts assist in the growth of the next generation of inclusive scientists to maintain U.S. global leadership in weather and climate research.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.