South Carolina State College REU Site With Aquatic Ecology Focus

该奖项将为南卡罗来纳州立大学自然科学系提供资金，以建立本科生研究经验（REU）站点。该计划的重点将是扩大主要少数民族本科科学专业的独立研究能力，为REU学生提供与职业研究科学家的互动机会，并激励和准备学生成功的研究生学习和研究事业。研究项目将统一围绕水生生态主题，但学生将有很大的灵活性选择项目。合作机构的地点；靠近海岸河口系统的海洋资源研究所（MRRI）和靠近上海岸平原栖息地的萨凡纳河生态实验室（SREL）将为学生提供沿着整个河流系统长度进行的各种研究的全面图景。在SREL和MRRI的合作下，由非现场职业研究人员指导的一系列生态短途旅行将为学生提供额外的培训收益。这不仅可以帮助学生提高他们对生态系统相互作用的概念，而且还可以通过与东道国科学家的互动提高他们对职业选择和研究生学习的认识。本中心将举办客座研究员系列讲座，向学生介绍外部研究人员，学生将介绍他们的研究成果。

This award will provide funds to the Department of Natural Sciences at South Carolina State College to establish a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) SITE. The focus of the program will be to expand the independent research capabilities of primarily minority undergraduate science majors, provide interactive opportunities for REU students with career research scientists, and to stimulate and prepare students for successful graduate studies and research careers. Research projects will be unified around an aquatic ecology theme, but students will have great flexibility in choosing projects. The locations of cooperating institutions; the Marine Resources Research Institute (MRRI) adjacent to coastal estuarine systems not far from the Edisto River mouth and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) further inland near upper coastal plain habitats will provide students with a comprehensive picture of the kinds of research taking place along the length of an entire river system. Additional training benefits to students will be derived from a series of ecological excursions guided by off-site career researchers in cooperation with SREL and MRRI. This will not only help students improve their concepts of ecosystem interactions, but also provide for increased awareness of career options and graduate studies through interactions with host scientists. A guest researcher seminar series will be held at SCSC to introduce students to outside researchers and students will present seminars of their findings.