REU Site: Interdisciplinary Watershed Studies at the College of William and Mary

该项目每年从全国各地挑选10名优秀的本科生，参加由环境地质学、生物学、社会学和经济学的教师指导的学生研究项目。这群学生与W&amp；M的教师导师一起工作，以确定在科学和社会经济背景下改变分水岭土地使用的影响。在当地的流域内，学生在城市化带来的越来越大的压力下，完成水生和相关的山地栖息地的研究项目。流域水文地质和生态现状的调查是通过分析与河道切割、雨水管理有效性、水质空间变化、全湖水、沙和营养平衡以及流域水生和陆地部分的人口/群落结构有关的河岸廊道影响来完成的。由于任何流域系统的地位都是土地利用历史变化的结果，因此通过对居民对发展、环境保护和水与产权的看法的社会学和经济学调查，来确定当前人口和市场强迫功能的方向和强度。学生团队试图解决发达地区流域影响和保护中的许多基本问题：改变的水生和陆地环境中的人口和群落结构变化；种群对栖息地变化的进化反应；水、泥沙和养分的收支；城市化导致的河道切割后的河岸走廊功能；以及蓄水池在管理雨水方面的有效性。这些问题中的每一个都需要不同学科的学生和教职员工之间的沟通。该研究计划提供跨学科合作方面的培训，这对解决复杂的环境问题至关重要。这项研究的影响包括促进本科生(包括代表性不足的群体)的环境研究培训和学习，以实现提高相关学科的环境科学素养的目标。研究成果有助于更全面地了解和确定参与国政府和社区利益集团成功管理分水岭的机会。

Each year this project selects 10 outstanding undergraduates from across the country to participate in student research projects mentored by faculty in environmental geology, biology, sociology and economics. The cohort of students work with W&M faculty mentors to determine the impacts of changing watershed land use in scientific and socio-economic contexts. Within local watersheds, students complete research projects in aquatic and associated upland habitats under increasing pressures from urbanization. Investigations of current hydrogeologic and ecological status in watersheds are completed by analyzing riparian corridor impacts associated with channel incision, stormwater management effectiveness, spatial variation in water quality, lake-wide budgets for water, sediment and nutrients, and population/community structure in aquatic and terrestrial portions of the watershed. Because the status of any watershed system is the result of historical changes in land use, sociologic and economic surveys of residents' perception of development, environmental protection and water and property rights are used to determine the current direction and strength of population and market forcing functions. Student teams seek to tackle many fundamental issues in watershed impacts and protection in developed areas: population and community structure changes in altered aquatic and terrestrial environments; evolutionary responses of populations to habitat alteration; water, sediment, and nutrient budgets; riparian corridor function following urbanization-induced channel incision; and the effectiveness of retention ponds in managing stormwater. Each of these issues requires communication among students and faculty working in different disciplines. The research program provides training in interdisciplinary cooperation that is essential for resolving complex environmental issues. The impacts of the study include the promotion of environmental research training and learning for undergraduates (including underrepresented groups), toward the goal of enhancing environmental science literacy across relevant disciplines. The products of research contribute to a more comprehensive understanding and identification of opportunities for successful watershed management by participant government and community interest groups.