REU Site: Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Cryospheric Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder

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"REU Site: Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Cryospheric Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder" aims to provide a diverse group of undergraduate students an authentic, engaging learning, and research training experience and professional growth opportunities in the broad areas of atmospheric, oceanic, and cryospheric science. The program will target recruiting women, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation college students building on existing relationships with minority-serving institutions. The REU program supports intellectual merit in that a diverse group of undergraduate students will be prepared to embark on their careers as future leading researchers, scientists, and ambassadors for atmospheric, oceanic, and cryospheric sciences. They will work one-on-one with faculty members in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences who are leaders in their fields and will benefit from a network of mentors. A professional program evaluator will collect data to quantify the effects of engaging underrepresented students in research experiences and subsequent pursuit of STEM careers. From a broader impact perspective, the educational outcome is a diverse group of talented U.S. students motivated and prepared to use the research and communication skills developed in this REU program to address important challenges in atmospheric, oceanic, and cryospheric sciences. Beyond the REU students, this program will advance the mentoring skills of early-career researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder who are likely to move into leadership positions at other universities and national laboratories. Therefore, this REU site will (i) contribute to sustaining the U.S. STEM workforce's competitiveness and diversity, (ii) enhance STEM education infrastructure at the University of Colorado Boulder, and (iii) train early career researchers (graduate student and postdoctoral mentors) in effectively supporting a diverse group of undergraduate students. The REU site will utilize recruitment materials in Spanish and English. The research projects represent some of the most pressing scientific topics within atmospheric, oceanic and cryospheric science, such as renewable energy, rapid ice loss events, ocean surface temperature variability impacts on biological processes, water clarity off the Alaska coast, role of asteroid impact emissions on the climate system, interaction between ice sheets and the jet stream, and understanding how the retreat of sea ice affects the upper ocean. The REU site will support twelve undergraduate students for ten-week summer research consisting of: (i) a two-week python boot camp to provide and enhance student skills in data analytics, (ii) the formation of research cohorts to enhance student professional networks, (iii) weekly seminars for professional development, (iv) research communication/dissemination in a poster session and (v) the opportunity to present their research results at a professional conference. The goals of the REU site are 1) to support students underrepresented in the atmospheric, oceanic and cryospheric sciences to develop a toolkit for success in a STEM program and beyond, 2) inspire and support student participants to choose a graduate school program or a professional career in a STEM field, and 3) engage faculty from the Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Department in REU mentoring and provide training to faculty around inclusive mentoring.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.