REU Site: University of Maryland Eastern Shore Research Experience for Undergraduates in Marine and Estuarine Science

该REU站点奖授予位于马里兰州安妮公主的马里兰大学东海岸，将在2024-2026年夏季支持8名学生的培训，为期10周。预计共有24名学生将接受该项目的培训，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。该计划将针对即将升入大二和大三的学生。学生将在实验室和/或现场环境中进行指导研究，重点关注马里兰州沿海河流、泻湖和河口的生态。学生将学习如何进行研究，为教师的研究项目做出贡献，许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。该计划的评估将通过在线工具完成。学生应使用NSF ETAP（教育和培训申请）向REU网站申请。REU项目的智力重点是海洋和河口科学。学生将由自然科学系和食品与农业科学系的科学家指导。他们将有机会从事各种研究项目，如对底栖大型无脊椎动物的富营养化影响，气候变化对沿海森林的影响，利用粪便固醇评估沿海泻湖的污水污染，以及马里兰沿海海湾死角运河中马蹄蟹的丰度、分布和运动。该项目将通过教师指导研究提供严格的教育；每周就有价值的科学主题举行讲习班、讨论和研讨会；提供丰富教育经验的实地考察；最终研究报告；在项目研讨会结束时，学生进行口头和海报展示。专业发展活动将包括地理信息系统和科学伦理/负责任的研究行为方面的培训。课程评估将通过对学生进行问卷调查来进行。学生将由项目pi根据他们的申请材料选择，这些材料将包括标准的在线申请和累积平均成绩，描述他们的研究兴趣和职业目标的论文，两封推荐信和正式的学术成绩单。有关该计划的更多信息，请联系PI博士Paulinus Chigbu或联合PI博士Margaret Sexton。该项目由生物科学理事会生物基础设施司和传统黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU-UP）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This REU Site award to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, located in Princess Anne, MD, will support the training of 8 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2024-2026. It is anticipated that a total of 24 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. The program will target rising sophomores and rising juniors. Students will conduct mentored research in laboratory and/or field settings focusing on the ecology of coastal rivers, lagoons and estuaries in Maryland. Students will learn how research is conducted, contribute to faculty research projects, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of this program will be done through an online tool. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application). The intellectual focus of the REU program is on marine and estuarine science. Students will be mentored by scientists in the Departments of Natural Sciences, and Food and Agricultural Sciences. They will have opportunities to work on a variety of research projects, such as eutrophication effects on benthic macroinvertebrates, climate change effects on coastal forests, assessment of sewage contamination in coastal lagoons using fecal sterols, and abundance, distribution and movement of horseshoe crabs in dead-end canals of Maryland Coastal Bays. The program will provide rigorous education via faculty mentorship on research; weekly workshops, discussions and seminars on valuable science topics; field trips that provide an educationally enriching experience; a final research report; and oral and poster presentations by the students at the end of program symposium. Professional development activities will include training in GIS and scientific ethics/responsible conduct of research. Program assessment will occur by administering questionnaires to students. Students will be selected by the project PIs based on their application materials that will include a standard on-line application and cumulative grade point average, essays describing their research interests and career goals, two letters of recommendation, and official academic transcripts. More information about the program is available by contacting the PI Dr. Paulinus Chigbu or the co-PI Dr. Margaret Sexton. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate of Biological Sciences, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP).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.