REU Site: Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Urban Environments (GI4SUrE)

在这项面向本科生的研究经验(REU)SITE计划中，可持续城市环境的绿色基础设施(GI4SUrE)将参与支持推进绿色基础设施的研究，以改善城市环境中的公共和生态健康。绿色基础设施可以被描述为城市环境中相互关联的自然空间，如公园、河岸地区和基于自然的雨水控制措施，这些措施有助于清理雨水径流，减少城市化对当地地表水的影响，并提供洪水保护。研究将包括最先进的领域、实验室和建模研究，以更好地了解和优化这些系统。参加REU的学生将有机会提高他们的研究和批判性思维技能，同时加强他们通过口头和书面媒介与技术和非技术受众沟通的能力。其他经验包括接触到新的导师，接触到工程学研究生学位带来的各种职业道路，以及如何与学科外的同事合作、向他们学习、沟通和考虑他们的观点。这一计划将通过将机会扩大到传统上在科学和工程领域代表性不足的群体，来提高工程专业的多样性和学生在研究生院的参与度。通过为期10周的夏季本科生研究体验，GI4SUrE REU网站旨在：(1)促进有关绿色基础设施(GI)对可持续城市水的贡献的科学知识，(2)提供高质量的专业和社会氛围，让与会者接受基础研究方法和批判性思维的教育。在教师的指导下，学生将进行实地、实验室和/或模型研究，以探索GI如何发挥作用，减轻城市径流对地表水质量和水文学的影响。绿色基础设施一直被视为建设更好基础设施的一种方式，这是美国国家工程院恢复和改善城市基础设施的重大挑战的一部分，使其成为一个重要的调查主题。REU的学生将通过在项目的子集中加入非工程学合作导师来解决考虑社会、水文、生态和/或经济结果的复杂问题，从而接触到最先进的技术和融合研究。通过有针对性的招聘策略，这个REU网站将支持传统上代表性较低的群体参与本科工程研究。学生将获得在研究方法、沟通、融合方法和团队环境中工作的技能，这对他们的专业努力将是无价的。此外，接触对拥有高级学位的个人开放的各种职业道路将有助于他们确定自己想要的职业道路，无论是学术界、行业、政府还是非政府组织。REU对GI知识的贡献将是无价的。随着全国范围内正花费数十亿美元通过使用GI来减少城市化的影响，迫切需要更好地了解和优化其绩效，使这些努力更具科学性。总体而言，REU打算在参与者和教职员工之间建立直接、持久的指导关系，并在队列中的人之间建立长期关系。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。

In this Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site Program, Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Urban Environments (GI4SUrE), a diverse cohort will participate in research supporting the advancement of Green Infrastructure to improve public and ecological health in urban environments. Green Infrastructure can be described as the interconnected natural spaces in urban environments such as parks, riparian areas, and nature-based storm water control measures that serve to clean storm water runoff, reduce urbanization impacts to local surface waters, and offer protection from flooding. Research will include state of the art field, laboratory, and modeling studies to better understand and optimize these systems. Students that participate in this REU will have the chance to improve their research and critical thinking skills while bolstering their ability to communicate with technical and non-technical audiences through oral and written mediums. Additional experiences include access to new mentors, exposure to the various career pathways made possible by a graduate degree in engineering, and training on how to collaborate with, learn from, communicate with, and consider the perspectives of colleagues outside their discipline. This program will serve to improve the diversity of the engineering profession and student participation in graduate school by extending opportunities to traditionally underrepresented groups in science and engineering. Through a 10-week, summer undergraduate research experience, the GI4SUrE REU Site aims to: (1) propel scientific knowledge regarding Green Infrastructure (GI) contributions to sustainable urban water, and (2) provide a high quality professional and social atmosphere where attendees are educated on fundamental research methodologies and critical thinking. Under the guidance of faculty mentors, students will perform field, laboratory, and/or modeling studies to explore how GI functions to mitigate the effects of urban runoff on surface water quality and hydrology. Green Infrastructure has been deemed as a way to build better infrastructure as part of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenge to restore and improve urban infrastructure, making it a vital topic for investigation. REU students will be exposed to state of the art techniques and convergent research by the inclusion of non-engineering co-mentors in a subset of the projects to address complex questions that consider social, hydrologic, ecologic, and/or economic outcomes. Through a targeted recruiting strategy, this REU site will bolster the participation of traditionally underrepresented groups in undergraduate engineering research. Students will gain skills in research methodology, communication, convergent approaches, and working in team environments which will be invaluable in their professional endeavors. Further, exposure to the various career pathways that are open to individuals with advanced degrees will aid them in determining their desired career path, whether it be academia, industry, government, or non-government organizations. REU contributions to GI knowledge will be invaluable. As billions of dollars are being spent nationwide to reduce the effects of urbanization through the use of GI, there is a critical need to better understand and optimize its performance to make these efforts more scientifically informed. Overall, the REU intends to establish direct, lasting mentoring relationships between participants and faculty, and long-term relationships among those in the cohort.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.