REU Site: Summer Research Experience on the Impacts of Land Use and Land Cover in the Upper Green River Watershed of Western Kentucky, USA

西肯塔基州的大学已被授予NSF奖，建立本科生网站（REU）的研究经验。该REU站点的统一环境主题集中在土地利用和土地覆盖及其对上绿色河流域（岩溶水文系统）水资源的影响。研究内容都与水质、污染物输送和近地表大气水循环直接相关。REU学生将在夏季在西肯塔基州大学与来自生物，化学或地理和地质系的教师导师一起工作10周。 学生将学习标准的现场技术，在实验室收集样本和分析数据。 此外，他们还将分析现有的环境数据集。 来自肯塔基州数学和科学学院的八名本科生和四名学生将参加这个REU网站。 该学院为有天赋的高中三年级和四年级学生提供先进的学术机会。 每个学生将开发一个研究项目，与土地利用和土地覆盖的影响，在上游绿色河流域。上绿色河拥有丰富的鱼类、大型无脊椎动物和淡水贻贝生物多样性，其中许多仅存在于流域的这一部分。 此外，还有一些稀有和濒危的穴居无脊椎动物物种从未被完全确定。在这一敏感的生态系统中，土地利用/土地覆盖的变化使这些问题进一步复杂化，包括水文和大气响应。 学生参与者还将有机会讨论与数据收集和使用，实验设计，专业标准以及环境研究可能对社会产生的更广泛影响有关的伦理问题。 这一建议的更广泛的影响首先由本科生进行的创造性的科学研究调查与相应的促进培训和学习。 其次，对来自阿巴拉契亚的弱势学生的招聘重点显然扩大了代表性不足的群体的参与。

The University of Western Kentucky has been granted an NSF award to establish a Research Experience for Undergraduates Site (REU). The unifying environmental theme of this REU site is focused on land use and land cover and its impacts on water in the Upper Green River Watershed, a karst hydrologic system. The research components are all directly related to water quality, contaminant transport, and near surface atmospheric water cycling. REU students will spend 10 weeks during summer at Western Kentucky University working with a faculty mentor from the Department of Biology, Chemistry, or Geography and Geology. Students will learn in standard field techniques, collect samples and analyze data in the laboratory. In addition, they will also analyze existing environmental data sets. Eight undergraduates and four students from the Kentucky Math and Science Academy will participate in this REU site. The Academy provides advanced academic opportunities for gifted high school juniors and seniors. Each student will develop a research project linked to the impacts of land use and land cover in the Upper Green River Basin. The Upper Green River supports a great biodiversity of fish, macroinvertebrates and freshwater mussels, many of which exist only in this part of the watershed. In addition, there are rare and endangered cave-dwelling invertebrate species that have never been fully identified. The change in Land Use/Land Cover in this sensitive ecosystem further complicates these issues, including hydrologic and atmospheric responses. The student participants will also be provided opportunities to discuss ethical issues related to collection and use of data, experimental design, professional standards, and the broader impacts that environmental research may have on society. The broader impacts of this proposal are first addressed by the creative scientific research investigations undertaken by undergraduates with the corresponding promotion of training and learning. Secondly, the recruitment focus of disadvantaged students from Appalachia clearly broadens the participation of underrepresented groups.