REU Site: Environmental and Earth Systems Research at Biosphere 2

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Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Environmental and Earth Systems Research at Biosphere 2 (B2 REU) is a 10-week summer research site that gives undergraduate students the opportunity to experience authentic geoscience research. Each summer, ten students will work with mentors and peers to perform state-of-the-art research in environmental and Earth sciences and learn about careers in STEM. B2 REU students will be selected from applicants throughout the United States from institutions with little access to research experiences and/or come from groups underrepresented in science, including minority, particularly Hispanic and Native American, and 1st generation students. The Biosphere 2 facility provides a unique setting to excite students about environmental research and a strong group of mentors and science staff ensures that students build knowledge and connections that will help them in their future careers. In addition to research, students participate in a variety of professional development activities curated to facilitate their growth as scientists. At the end of the summer, students will present their work at the University of Arizona undergraduate research symposium, where hundreds of students convene and share their work with fellow students, research mentors, and other faculty and staff. We also support students to attend a professional meeting of their choice to network with and present their work to the larger scientific community. The B2 REU program helps train the next generation of motivated, diverse, and interdisciplinary scientists for environmental and Earth system sciences. Student research projects in the B2 REU emphasize interdisciplinary science in the context of environmental challenges and ecosystem resilience. Biosphere 2 infrastructure allows for unprecedented control at large scales and features a rainforest, an ocean, and the Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) – a research instrument under glass for studying interactions among hydrologic, geologic, and biologic processes during formation of soil and landscapes. Research in the iconic, 3-acre Biosphere 2 facility is complemented by studies in nearby natural settings, including the NSF Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) that examines Earth systems processes along the elevation gradient of the Santa Catalina Mountains and at other field sites close to Tucson. REU student projects 1) address important Earth systems questions that cut across traditional disciplines and include multiple approaches and ways of knowing, 2) provide a unique combination of scale, control, and measurement for scientific inquiry, and 3) help students link their research to environmental challenges. We support the diverse cohorts of students by creating a welcoming and supportive environment that is focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion; and we provide training to mentors to ensure that students feel they are valued members of research teams.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.