REU SITE: Assessment and sustainable management of ecosystem services at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems

这项授予位于阿肯色州费耶特维尔的阿肯色大学的REU Site奖将支持12名学生在2024-2026年夏季进行为期10周的培训。预计共有36名学生将接受该项目的培训，这些学生主要是美国印第安人和其他代表性不足的群体；其中许多学生将来自研究机会有限的学校。该计划的参与者将参与一系列不同的活动，包括结构化讲座、利用R的计算机编程研讨会、实验室和实地研究、研讨会以及由可持续发展领域的专业人士参加的活动。此外，文化丰富活动将被纳入该计划，强调科学过程、可持续发展的伦理以及生态和可持续发展与部落传统的文化联系。将特别关注食品、水和能源系统的可持续性。学生将学习研究是如何进行的，在他们的导师(S)的帮助下完成一个独立的研究项目，并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(教育和培训应用程序：https://etap.nsf.gov).The)申请REU网站。该REU项目的目标是提供一种综合研究体验，主要针对美国印第安人本科生和STEM中其他代表性不足的群体，重点是食物、能源和水之间的生态系统服务的可持续管理。目标是让来自三所学院的学生和一个跨学科的教师导师小组探索跨景观和文化传统的供应服务的可持续管理。研究项目的重点是粮食和能源生命周期对水的数量和质量的影响，并与生态系统服务的部落管理相结合。课堂活动包括计算机编程讲习班、科学交流和文化丰富活动，强调生态与部落传统的伦理和文化联系。鼓励对环境系统或可持续发展研究感兴趣的本科生申请。欲了解更多有关该计划的信息，请访问http://ecoreu.uark.edu，，或联系国际和平组织(Kusum@uark.edu)或联合国际组织(Erica Westman博士，电子邮件：ewesterm@uark.edu)。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 Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, AR, will support the training of 12 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2024 - 2026. It is anticipated that a total of 36 students, primarily identifying as American Indian and other under-represented groups, will be trained in the program; many of these students will come from schools with limited research opportunities. Participants in this program will engage in a diverse set of activities, including structured lectures, computer programming workshops utilizing R, laboratory and field research, seminars, and events featuring professionals in sustainability fields. Additionally, cultural enrichment activities will be integrated into the program, emphasizing the scientific process, the ethics of sustainability, and the cultural connections of ecology and sustainability with tribal traditions. Special attention will be given to sustainability in food, water, and energy systems. Students will learn how research is conducted, complete an independent research project with the aid of their mentor(s), and 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: https://etap.nsf.gov).The objective of this REU program is to provide an integrated research experience focusing on sustainable management of ecosystem services at the nexus of food, energy, and water, primarily for American Indian undergraduates and those from other under-represented groups in STEM. The goal is for students and an interdisciplinary group of faculty mentors from three colleges to explore sustainable management of provisioning services across landscapes and cultural traditions. Research projects focus on effects of food and energy life cycles on water quantity and quality, integrated with tribal management of ecosystem services. Classroom activities include computer programming workshops, scientific communication, and cultural enrichment activities that emphasize the ethics and the cultural connections of ecology with tribal traditions. Undergraduate students who are interested in doing research about environmental systems or sustainability are encouraged to apply. More information about the program is available by visiting http://ecoreu.uark.edu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Kusum Naithani at kusum@uark.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Erica Westerman at ewesterm@uark.edu). 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.