Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Ecology in Human-Dominated Landscapes

迈阿密大学将建立一个本科生研究体验(REU)网站，重点关注人类主导的景观生态学。这一努力的目标是让本科生参与协作的、多学科的研究，强调受人类活动严重影响的景观中的生态问题。学生将了解到，解决环境问题的科学基础是通过合作研究建立的，因此将更好地为解决此类问题做好准备。每个学生将进行一个单独的研究项目，但这些项目也将是学生和教师研究“集群”的一部分，每个集群由3名学生和3名教师导师组成。集群内的学生将开发与其他学生协作的项目。集群将围绕一个主题构建，将几名教职员工的研究项目联系在一起，他们将与教师研究导师以及学生导师和合作者一起开发一个研究项目。各小组的活动将由一名教师小组组长协调。通过这种方式，学生将接触到广泛的研究，并有机会在多学科研究团队中工作，其结构类似于解决现实世界问题的研究团队。除了研究活动，每个学生还将参加整个小组活动，包括为期10周的工作坊课程(每周2小时)，涵盖科学过程、科学和环境伦理、生态职业、如何准备和发表科学报告，以及其他研究方面。此外，所有学生将参加定期的集体会议，为期两天的野外静修/研讨会，以及与他们的教师导师一起举行的美国生态学会年度会议。此外，他们将在导师的指导下，在下一学年继续开展项目工作。这一年的高潮将是在该项目的网站上张贴电子海报，所有学生将在其中展示他们的研究成果。作为该项目的一部分，迈阿密大学的学生参与者和教职员工将参与与理解和解决国内和国际环境问题相关的研究项目。通过多层次的指导和合作，学生们将真正欣赏科学进步的方式，并更好地欣赏我们面临的环境问题的复杂性。此外，迈阿密大学的教职员工将受益于加强彼此之间的合作，以及在集中和富有成效的背景下加强与来自不同背景和视角的学生的合作。

A Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site will be established at Miami University focusing on The Ecology of Human-Dominated Landscapes. The goal of this endeavor is to engage undergraduate students in collaborative, multi-disciplinary research that emphasizes ecological questions in landscapes heavily influenced by human activity. Students will learn that the scientific basis for solving environmental problems is established through collaborative research and thus will be better prepared to solve such problems. Each student will conduct an individual research project, but these projects will also be part of student-faculty research "clusters," each consisting of 3 students and 3 faculty mentors. Students within a cluster will develop projects that are collaborative with other students. Clusters will be structured around a theme that ties together the research programs of several faculty members and they will develop a research program with faculty research mentors as well as student mentors and collaborators. The activities of the clusters will be coordinated by a faculty cluster leader. In this way, the students will be exposed to a broad range of research and have the opportunity to work in multi-disciplinary research teams, structured similarly to research groups solving real-world problems. In addition to research activities, each student will also participate in whole group activities, including a 10-week workshop course (2 hours per week) that covers the scientific process, scientific and environmental ethics, careers in ecology, how to prepare and deliver scientific presentations, and other research aspects. In addition, all students will attend periodic whole-group meetings, a two-day retreat/workshop at a field station, and the annual conference of the Ecological Society of America with their faculty mentors. In addition, they will continue working on projects, with the guidance of their mentors, throughout the following academic year. The year will culminate with an electronic poster-session posted on the program's website, in which all students will present their research results.As a part of this program the student participants and the faculty at Miami University will be engaged in research programs that are relevant to understanding and solving environmental problems nationally and internationally. Through multiple levels of mentoring and collaboration, students will come away with a true appreciation for the manner in which science moves forward and gain a better appreciation for the complexity of the environmental issues we face. In addition, the faculty at Miami University will benefit by strengthening their collaborations with one another and with students from a variety of background and perspectives in a focused and productive context.