REU Sites: Terrestrial-aquatic linkages in urban impacted ecosystems

本科生（REU）研究经验网站奖已作出肯特州立大学（KSU;与克利夫兰附近的霍尔顿植物园（HA）），将提供10名学生的研究培训，在2013年至2015年夏季10周。该方案的重点是城市影响环境内的陆地-水生联系。学生的研究将在KSU和HA周围的几个实地进行，这些实地受到城市化，工业，农业，采矿和娱乐等人类活动的不同程度的影响。在该计划的早期，培训和队列活动将在KSU和HA进行，包括实地考察和使用主动学习练习的研讨会。强调的技能将包括道德培训和负责任的研究行为，产生可验证的假设，向不同的受众传播科学，并让非科学家参与研究。队列活动将鼓励学生在团队中工作，沟通，分析他们的数据质量，并将数据存档在地理空间数据库中。然后，学生将进行研究指导教师在陆地和水生生态学广泛的专业知识。这些项目可能包括研究人类活动如何影响陆地和水生生态系统内部和之间的营养物质流动，改变微生物群落组成，或促进抗生素耐药性的演变。每周的阅读/讨论小组将使参与者和导师聚集在一起，进一步学生与学生和学生与导师的互动，同时培养成功的科学生涯所需的沟通技巧。参与者将从美国学院和大学以及当地两年制学院（凯霍加社区学院，莱克兰社区学院，KSU的区域校区）招募，其中大部分学生来自代表性不足的群体，这些群体通常不会继续接受教育。参与者的选择将根据学生的资格，兴趣陈述和推荐信进行。将通过网页、博客和Facebook页面以及后续调查对参与者进行跟踪。有关该计划的信息将由外部评估员使用REU通用评估工具进行评估。欲了解更多信息，请访问http://ecologyREU.kent.edu，或联系PI（帕特里克Lorch博士，plorch@kent.edu）或共同PI（Kurt Smeo博士，ksmemo@holdenarb.org）。

A Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Sites award has been made to Kent State University (KSU; with The Holden Arboretum (HA) near Cleveland) that will provide research training for 10 students, for 10 weeks during the summers of 2013 to 2015. The program focuses on terrestrial-aquatic linkages within urban-impacted environments. Student research will be conducted at several field sites around KSU and HA that are impacted to varying degrees by human activities such as urbanization, industry, farming, mining, and recreation. Early in the program, training and cohort activities will take place at both KSU and HA, including field trips and workshops that use active-learning exercises. Skills emphasized will include ethics training and responsible conduct of research, generating testable hypotheses, communicating science to diverse audiences, and involving non-scientists in research. Cohort activities will encourage students to work in teams, communicate, analyze the quality of their data, and archive data in a geospatial database. Students will then conduct research mentored by faculty with wide ranging expertise in terrestrial and aquatic ecology. These projects could include examining how human activities affect the flow of nutrients within and between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, change microbial community composition, or contribute to the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Weekly reading/discussion groups will bring participants and mentors together to further student-student and student-mentor interactions while fostering the communication skills necessary for a successful science career. Participants will be recruited from both U.S. colleges and universities and local two-year colleges (Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College, KSU's regional campuses) with a high proportion of students from underrepresented groups that often do not continue their education. Participant selection will occur based on student qualifications, statement of interest and recommendation letters. Participants will be tracked using a web page, blog and Facebook page and through followup surveys. Information about the program will be assessed by an external assessor and using an REU common assessment tool. For more information visit http://ecologyREU.kent.edu, or contact the PI (Dr. Patrick Lorch at plorch@kent.edu) or co-PI (Dr. Kurt Smemo at ksmemo@holdenarb.org).