REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Archaeological and Museum Conservation Science at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

学术价值：史密森博物馆保护研究所(MCI)建立了一项REU计划，为考古学和博物馆保护科学跨学科领域的本科生提供令人兴奋和具有挑战性的研究经验，帮助他们为未来的科学职业做准备。该计划旨在加强传统的课堂教育，在七个MCI项目领域之一缺乏实践指导的实验室研究。学生参与正在进行的研究项目的各个方面，或提出自己独特的项目。通过这样做，他们获得了基本的实验室技能并在工作人员导师的直接监督下对科学方法有了深入的了解。学生接受专业介绍以及职业和研究生院选拔方面的培训，并酌情被纳入共同撰写的同行评议出版物和科学会议上的专业介绍。学生是从一批积极性很高的本科生申请者中挑选出来的，重点是代表性不足的少数族裔。MCI是一家成熟和多元化的机构，拥有能够支持这一计划的基础设施、人员和资源。所有MCI导师都有为本科生提供研究机会的经验，并通过史密森教育中心和博物馆研究中心建立了招募和处理学生实习生的基础设施。广泛影响：该计划的根本目标是教育和培训本科生，他们利用在MCI的独特跨学科经验获得研究生学位，并确立自己的专业科学家地位。根据学生的共同兴趣，安排一名工作人员指导他们，并参与项目的所有方面，包括规划、执行分析、数据分析和得出结论。学生将他们的成果贡献给同行评议的出版物，并在寻求毕业生聘任方面得到帮助。由于所有实习生都在外部大学注册，该项目与全国各地的机构建立了合作伙伴关系，并为他们的学生提供在现有研究小组中的实践实验室经验。申请是通过NSF REU网站和更大的史密森实习计划来征集的。史密森学会内的几个成熟的少数族裔项目为招募代表性不足的年轻科学家群体提供了额外的场所。

Intellectual Merit:The Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) has established an REU program that provides exciting and challenging research experiences for undergraduate students in the interdisciplinary fields of archeology and museum conservation science to help them prepare for future careers in science. The program serves to enhance traditional classroom education that lacks a 'hands-on' component with mentored laboratory research in one of seven MCI project areas. Students engage in aspects of ongoing research projects or propose their own unique project. In so doing they acquire basic laboratory skills and an in depth understanding of the scientific method under the immediate supervision of a staff mentor. Students receive training in professional presentation and career and graduate school selection, and are included, as appropriate, in co-authored peer-reviewed publications and professional presentations at scientific meetings. Students are selected from a pool of highly motivated undergraduate applicants with an emphasis on under-represented minorities. MCI is a a well established and diverse institute with the infrastructure, staff, and resources capable of supporting this program. All MCI mentors have experience providing undergraduates with research opportunities and an infrastructure to recruit and process student interns is already in place through the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies.Broader Impacts: The fundamental goal of this program is the education and training of undergraduate students who utilize their unique interdisciplinary experience at MCI to achieve graduate degrees and establish themselves as professional scientists. Students are placed with a staff mentor according to their mutual interests and participate in all aspects of a project including planning, execution of analyses, data analysis, and formulating conclusions. Students contribute their results to a peer-reviewed publication and are assisted in pursuing graduate appointments. Insofar as all student interns are enrolled in external universities, this program establishes partnerships with institutions across the country and provides their students with hands-on laboratory experience in an established research group. Applications are solicited through the NSF REU Sites website and the larger Smithsonian Internship Program. Several established minority programs within the Smithsonian Institution provide additional venues to recruit underrepresented groups of young scientists.