"Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake": Summer Research Experience in Arid West

环境学院REU计划将全国招募的本科生与有成就的学术科学家联系起来，以进一步加深我们对生物区域的科学理解。这些研究小组将在内华达州的东部塞拉地区工作，特别是在太浩湖-特拉基河-金字塔湖流域。建议的REU地点将包括广泛的生物和自然资源科学研究。主题范围从火灾对流域恢复的影响研究到太浩湖沿岸水质的人为影响。参加者将接触到不同的科学调查和技术，以深入了解科学如何为土地使用政策和保护措施提供信息。该计划的总体目标是探索适应性管理流域所需的科学中各个子领域的跨学科交叉点。更广泛的影响。该计划的统一方法以生物科学和自然资源管理政策的必要结合为中心。研究项目位于生物多样性的分水岭内，这是一个独特的生态系统，为山区、沙漠和河岸生物群落提供了各种引人注目的研究机会。更广泛地说，该项目将使学生接触到将这些生态系统与西方水资源利用和保护的更大问题联系起来的综合研究问题。对这些问题的探索将需要利用最先进的技术，同时也允许每个学生深入探索给定研究的特定方面。全国招生的学生将考虑这些技术如何影响知识生产，因为他们细化他们的研究范围。本课程的重点将是团队建设和积极的工作环境，以及学生在这些过程中的作用。因此，REU计划的影响将扩大学生对有效研究计划的理解和参与，同时产生有可能对特定领域做出重大贡献的研究。我们合作研究的预期结果将在学生、教师和自然资源管理者之间架起一座桥梁，共同努力提高我们在应用环境中对区域保护问题的科学理解。

The Academy for the Environment REU program will link nationally recruited undergraduates with accomplished academic scientists to further our scientific understanding of our bioregion. These research teams will work in Eastern Sierra Region of Nevada, specifically within the Lake Tahoe-Truckee River-Pyramid Lake watershed. The proposed REU site will encompass a wide range of biological and natural resource science research. Topics range from studies on fire effects on watershed restoration to the anthropogenic influences on water quality along the shorezone at Lake Tahoe. Participants will be exposed to diverse scientific inquiries and technologies to gain insight into the manner in which science informs land use policy and conservation initiatives. The overarching goal of this program is to explore the interdisciplinary intersections of the various subfields in the sciences that are required for adaptively managing watersheds.Broader impacts. The unifying approach of the program centers upon the necessary union of the biological sciences and natural resource management policy. The research projects are situated within a biologically diverse watershed, a unique ecological system that provides varied and compelling research opportunities in mountain, desert, and riparian biotic communities. More broadly, the program will expose students to integrated research questions that connect these ecosystems to larger questions of water usage and conservation in the west. The exploration of these inquiries will entail utilizing state-of-the-art technologies, while also allowing each student to explore in depth a particular aspect of a given study. Nationally recruited students will consider how these technologies influence knowledge production as they refine their scope of research. An important emphasis of this program will be team building and positive work environments and the role of students in these processes. As a result, the impact of the REU program will expand a student's understanding of, and participation in, effective research programs while producing research that has the potential to contribute significantly to a particular field. The desired outcome of our collaborative research will bridge students, faculty, and natural resource managers in a collective effort towards enhancing our scientific understanding of regional conservation issues in an applied context.