REU Site: Gulf Coastal Plain Ecology

位于密西西比州哈蒂斯堡的南密西西比大学获得REU Site奖，将在2025年至2027年的每个暑假期间支持10名学生进行10周的培训。预计共有30名学生将接受该项目的培训，主要是生物学，也有来自历史上黑人学院和大学(HBCU)和其他机构的地理、地质或环境科学专业的学生，他们没有广泛的生态研究机会。该计划的重点是墨西哥湾沿岸平原的生态，这是该国一个生物丰富且具有重要生态意义的地区。REU计划的目标是培养学生对生态研究的兴趣和准备，利用各种基于现场和实验室的技术发展科学技能，并促进与学生经验相关的假设驱动的研究。学生们将学习研究是如何进行的，扩大他们的专业网络，并学习向更广泛的受众传播科学的重要性。许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。对该计划的评估将通过一个在线工具进行。学生应使用NSF ETAP(教育与培训应用程序)申请REU网站。REU学生将与南密西西比大学生物、环境和地球科学学院的教师合作，开展与墨西哥湾海岸平原有关的生态项目。项目将包括对各种生物的研究，包括藻类、植物、真菌和动物，包括现存的和化石的。研究问题集中在物种形成、保护、入侵物种和土地管理对营养动态和生理的影响。学生将参与规划和进行生态研究，并将学习各种实地、实验室和分析技术。其他活动将包括关于科学的伦理和专业实践的会议，以及书面、口头和海报形式的科学交流。学生将在一系列研讨会、实验室交流和面向职业的地区研究机构实地考察中与同行、研究生和教职员工互动。学生的选择将基于动机、学术能力以及该项目对其职业目标的潜在影响。该项目由生物科学局生物基础设施司和已建立的激励竞争性研究计划(EPSCoR)共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 Southern Mississippi, located in Hattiesburg, MS, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during each summer from 2025–2027. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students will be trained in the program, primarily biology, and also geography, geology, or environmental science majors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other institutions without extensive opportunities for ecological research. The program is focused on the ecology of the Gulf Coastal Plain, a biologically rich and ecologically important area of the country. The goals of the REU program are to build student interest and preparation for ecological research, develop scientific skills using a diversity of field- and lab-based techniques, and facilitate hypothesis driven research relevant to the students’ experiences. Students will learn how research is conducted, expand their professional network, and learn the importance of communicating science to a broader audience. 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).REU students will work with faculty in the School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi on ecological projects related to the Gulf Coastal Plain. Projects will include studies of a diversity of organisms, including algae, plants, fungi, and animals, both extant and fossilized. Research questions focus on speciation, conservation, invasive species, and land management impacts on nutrient dynamics and physiology. Students will participate in planning and conducting ecological research and will learn a variety of field, lab, and analytical techniques. Other activities will include sessions on the ethical and professional practice of science, and science communication in written, oral, and poster form. Students will interact with peers, graduate students, and faculty in a series of workshops, lab exchanges, and career-oriented field trips to regional research institutions. Students will be selected based on motivation, academic capacity, and the potential impact of the program on their career goals. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate of Biological Sciences, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.