REU Site: Understanding Coastal Ecosystems

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This REU Site award to Florida International University, located in Miami, FL, will support the training of 10 students per year for 10 weeks during the summers of 2023-2025. It is anticipated this REU Site will train a total of 30 students recruited from a nationwide pool, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, and those from groups traditionally underrepresented in science. Students will learn how to develop an independent research project focused on understanding the iconic ecosystems of South Florida, as well as the human and urbanization impacts on these systems. They will also learn research analysis methodologies, developing actionable solutions based on their research, communicating science to multiple audiences, and will present their results at a final research symposium and professional scientific conferences. Assessment of the program’s effectiveness will be conducted online. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. The research theme of this REU Site (Understanding Coastal Ecosystems - From the Everglades to the Coral Reefs) is coastal ecosystems ecology and environmental aquatic chemistry. Specifically, this research looks at ecosystems processes in the Everglades wetlands, coastal mangrove forests, seagrass beds and shallow water coral reefs. The research topics are designed to detect sources of coastal contaminants, understand how environmental stressors impact organisms and populations, and measure the ecosystem responses under rapidly changing climate and land use. The program integrates researchers across 14 departments and 5 colleges university-wide, to build interdisciplinary projects and convergent research experiences. REU students will be co-mentored by teams comprised of faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. The program will provide professional development on research methods, responsible conduct of research, as well as field experiences to different ecosystems. In addition, the students will attend career workshops that build the skills needed for multiple STEM pathways, including academic, agency, industry, and non-profit positions. More information about the program is available at https://CoastalREU.fiu.edu or by contacting the PI (Dr. Todd Crowl at tcrowl@fiu.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.