REU: Stable Isotopic Applications to Great Plains Ecology, Paleoecology, and Archeology

该奖项将为奥古斯塔纳学院本科生研究体验项目提供持续支持。该项目将支持本科生参与一个重点研究项目，该项目整合了六名研究人员的研究活动，其中四名来自奥古斯塔纳学院，一名来自圣奥拉夫学院，一名来自大自然保护协会。由于对草原生态学和古生态学有共同的兴趣，而且每个项目的各个方面都受益于将碳和氮的稳定同位素应用于研究方法。该计划将提供一个连贯的小组和独特的方法来接近生态资源丰富的地理区域的古生态重建。九名学生将以共同的焦点研究现场和实验室问题。他们将被期望获得一些理论基础的掌握，为他们的研究，以及实验设计和最终解释。每周的研讨会和讲习班将审查每个项目的理论基础和研究设计；提高学生的图书馆、实验室和数据处理研究技能；并扩大他们对相关项目的了解。在为期十周的暑期课程之后，每个学生将在一月的研讨会上介绍解释的结果和结论，并帮助为正在进行的项目发展假设和研究设计。

This award will provide continuing support for a Research Experiences for Undergraduate Site at Augustana College. This project will support undergraduate participation in a focused research program which integrates the research activities of six investigators, four from Augustana College, one from St. Olaf College, and one from The Nature Conservancy. The projects are integrated at the scientific level because of the common interests in prairie ecology and paleoecology and because aspects of each project benefit form the applications of the stable isotopes of C and N to the research methodology. This program will provide a coherent group and a unique methodology to approach paleoecological reconstructions in a geographic area of rich ecological resources. Nine students will study field and laboratory problems with a common focus. They will be expected to gain some mastery of the theoretical basis for their study as well as the experimental design and ultimate interpretation. Weekly seminars and workshops will review each project's theoretical basis and research design; enhance the students' library, laboratory and data handling research skills; and broaden their understanding of the related projects. The ten-week summer program will be followed by a January Symposium in which each student will present the interpreted results and conclusions and help develop the hypotheses and research designs for the on-going projects.