URM: Life Sciences Strengthened by a Spectrum of World Views

北亚利桑那大学(NAU)被授予建立本科生研究和指导(URM)计划的奖项。NAU是一所在培训美洲原住民学生以及来自其他代表性不足背景的学生方面享有很高声誉的机构。NAU-URM计划将从2010年秋季开始，一直持续到2014年夏季，向四批学者提供生物学方面的研究经验。每个团队将由至少7名学生组成，他们将接受参与尖端研究的教师导师的培训。学者将根据他们的个人兴趣与导师进行匹配，因为经验表明，将学生与合适的导师匹配对于激励美国原住民学生攻读更高的学位至关重要。URM学者将有各种各样的研究项目可供选择。其中一些例子包括：(1)纳瓦霍民族对铀污染的生物反应；(2)以海拔梯度作为气候指标的对气候变化的生态反应；(3)两栖动物对环境中内分泌干扰物的发育反应；(4)大气中二氧化碳浓度升高对土壤食物网结构的影响；以及其他。NAU-URM项目的学者将根据他们在生物科学研究生项目中取得成功的潜力，以及他们的个人陈述、过去的经验、学术表现和推荐信来选择。NAU-URM项目将为本科生学者提供一到三年的由教师直接指导的独立研究，以及为期一年的研究方法研讨会。该计划通过整合四个层次的建议和指导来确保学者的成功：教师导师、同行导师、URM项目工作人员和NAU学生服务。除了研究，学生还可以获得大学强大的支持系统，并接受有效的书面和口头交流培训。鼓励学者在国内和国际会议上发表他们的研究成果，并在同行评议的期刊上发表合著者论文。URM项目工作人员将通过定期评估学者的研究进展和学术进展来监测他们的经验。其目标是让URM学者进入竞争激烈的生物科学研究生课程。该项目的成功将通过学生的成绩和他们的职业成就来衡量。欲了解更多信息，请访问http://www.cefns.nau.edu/Academic/CSE/umeb/，，或联系南希·约翰逊(Nancy.Johnson@NAU.edu)或凯伦·豪本萨克(Karen.Haubensak@NAU.edu)。

An award has been made to Northern Arizona University (NAU) to establish an Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (URM) program. NAU is an institution with a strong reputation for training Native American students as well as students from other underrepresented backgrounds. The NAU-URM program will provide research experiences in biology to four cohorts of scholars starting in fall 2010 and continuing through summer 2014. Each cohort will be comprised of at least seven students who will be trained by faculty mentors involved in cutting-edge research. Scholars will be matched with mentors based upon their individual interests because experience has shown that matching students with the right mentor is critical to inspiring Native American students to pursue advanced degrees. URM scholars will have a wide variety of research projects from which to select. Some examples include: (1) biological responses to uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation; (2) ecological responses to climate change using an elevation gradient as a proxy for climate; (3) developmental responses of amphibians to endocrine disruptors in the environment; (4) effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment on the structure of soil food webs; and others. Scholars in the NAU-URM program will be selected based on their potential to succeed in graduate programs in the biological sciences, and their personal statements, past experiences, academic performance, and letters of recommendation. The NAU-URM program will provide undergraduate scholars one to three years of independent research mentored directly by faculty and a year-long research methods seminar. The program assures the success of scholars through integrating four levels of advisement and mentoring: faculty mentors, peer mentors, URM program staff, and NAU student services. In addition to research, students have access to a strong support system in the university and receive training in effective written and oral communication. Scholars are encouraged to present their research findings at national and international meetings, and co-author publications in peer-reviewed journals. URM program staff will monitor scholars' experiences through regular assessments of their research progress and academic progress. The goal is to get URM scholars to gain admission into highly competitive graduate programs in the biological sciences. The success of the program will be measured by the student accomplishments and their career outcomes. More information is available at http://www.cefns.nau.edu/Academic/CSE/umeb/, or by contacting Nancy Johnson (Nancy.Johnson@nau.edu) or Karen Haubensak (Karen.Haubensak@nau.edu).