REU Site: Conservation, Restoration, and Communication

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。该REU站点奖授予位于佛罗里达州奥兰多市的中佛罗里达大学，将在2022- 2024年夏季为10名学生提供为期10周的培训。预计共有30名学生将通过该项目接受培训，这些学生主要来自研究机会有限的学校或代表性不足的群体。该计划的重点是满足国家对使用尖端工具和技术培训保护和修复领域学生的关键需求。科学传播训练将与体验交织在一起。学生将学习如何进行研究，许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。有针对性的实地考察将包括参观地区动物园、国家和州立公园、城市保护地点，以及观看海龟筑巢、亲手修复牡蛎礁、养蜂和与当地保护专家一起实习的机会。该计划的评估将通过在线SALG URSSA工具完成。课程结束后，将对学生进行跟踪，以确定他们的职业道路。这个REU站点的科学重点是保护和恢复各种分类群（例如，海龟，牡蛎，红树林，青蛙，蜜蜂，涉禽，动物园圈养繁殖物种等）和生态系统（海洋，海滩，河口，湿地等），重点是佛罗里达州。人类活动往往寻求通过保护和恢复来改善自然系统。然而，对这些过程的了解有限，使成功变得困难。中佛罗里达大学的生物系是这些不断扩大的领域的许多专家的家园。我们的REU导师将现场数据收集与前沿实验室研究（例如，eDNA，代谢组学）相结合。这个REU项目侧重于学生在导师的支持下开发的基于探究的研究项目。与保护和修复直接相关的是交流。参加这个REU的学生将提高他们的沟通技巧，目标是每个学生在夏季结束时建立一个科学身份。专业发展培训的目的是消除通往成功的常见障碍；研讨会包括道德和负责任的研究行为、职业选择和工作见习机会、如何进入研究生院以及时间管理。有关该计划的更多信息，请访问https://academicsuccess.ucf.edu/reu，或联系PI （Linda Walters博士linda.walters@ucf.edu）或联合PI （Kate Mansfield博士kate.mansfield@ucf.edu）。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This REU Site award to the University of Central Florida, located in Orlando, FL, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2022- 2024. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from under-represented groups, will be trained through this program. The program focus meets a critical national need to train students in the fields of conservation and restoration using cutting-edge tools and techniques. Interwoven into the experience will be science communication training. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Targeted field trips will include visits to regional zoos, national and state parks, urban conservation sites, as well as the opportunity to watch sea turtles nest, hands-on oyster reef restoration, honey bee keeping, and job shadowing with local conservation specialists. Assessment of the program will be done thru the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.The scientific focus of this REU Site is the conservation and restoration of diverse taxa (e.g., sea turtles, oysters, mangroves, frogs, honeybees, wading birds, captive bred species in zoos, etc.) and ecosystems (oceans, beaches, estuaries, wetlands, etc.) with a focus on Florida. Human activities often seek to improve natural systems through conservation and restoration. Limited understanding of these processes, however, makes success difficult. The University of Central Florida’s Biology Department is home to many experts in these ever-expanding fields. Our REU mentors combine field data collection with cutting-edge laboratory research (e.g., eDNA, metabolomics). This REU program focuses on inquiry-based research projects developed by students with support from their mentors. Directly connected to both conservation and restoration is communication. Students participating in this REU will enhance their communication skills with the goal of each student developing a science identity by the end of summer. Professional development training is designed to remove common barriers to success; workshops include ethics and responsible conduct of research, career choices and job shadowing opportunities, how to navigate graduate school admissions, and time management. More information about the program is available by visiting https://academicsuccess.ucf.edu/reu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Linda Walters at linda.walters@ucf.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Kate Mansfield at kate.mansfield@ucf.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.