IUSE: TSU Wetland Observatory - Reforming Laboratory Instruction and Strengthening Research Experiences for Undergraduate Students in Biological and Environmental Sciences

湿地对我们的水资源和野生动物的健康都是至关重要的。人类引起的环境变化造成了严重的问题，如水质恶化和生物地球化学循环的深刻变化。要解决这些问题，就需要培养不同层次的环境科学学生。目前，现有资源和设施的缺乏严重限制了少数族裔服务机构和城市大学的课程创新。这个项目的意义和重要性在于它有可能通过改革本科实验室教学和利用大学校园内的湿地资源加强本科研究经验来应对这些挑战。该项目将改善田纳西州立大学(TSU)的本科教育。它可以作为其他校园的典范，希望升级他们的本科生课程，让学生有更多机会通过参与研究机会来学习科学，这些机会既能促进对世界的了解，又能为公共利益做出贡献。长期影响将有助于在生物、生态和环境科学领域建立更多元化的劳动力队伍。这项计画的目标是利用台大湿地观测站作为一个教育与研究平台，支持一系列具挑战性的实验室活动及课程计画，涉及两个系的五名教员所教授的课程。该项目将改善学生在生物学、生态学、环境微生物学和湿地水文学方面的学习和研究经验。每年，该项目将使超过250名学生在各种课程中受益。此外，台大湿地观测站将为公立和高中生提供方便、安全和有意义的教育场所。该项目编写的课程材料和数据将通过讲习班、教育会议、期刊出版物和一个专门的网站进行传播。通过这样做，该项目将扩大关于改善本科STEM学习的有效做法的知识库。该项目由生物科学局、生物基础设施部和教育与人力资源局、本科教育司联合资助，以支持应对《本科教育愿景与变革：行动呼吁》中提出的挑战的努力。http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/.

Wetlands are crucial to the health of both our water resources and wildlife. Human-induced environmental changes create serious problems, such as the deterioration of water quality and profound alterations to biogeochemical cycles. Solving these problems requires training a diverse population of students in environmental science. At this time, the lack of available resources and facilities poses severe limitations on curriculum innovation at minority-serving institutions and urban universities. The significance and importance of this project is its potential to answer these challenges by reforming undergraduate laboratory instruction and strengthening undergraduate research experience using a wetlands resource situated on the college campus. The project will improve undergraduate education at Tennessee State University (TSU). It can serve as a model for other campuses hoping to upgrade their undergraduate offerings to include more opportunities for students to learn science by engaging in research opportunities that both advance what is known about the world and contribute to the public good. The long term impact will be to help build a more diverse workforce in biology, ecology and environmental sciences. The goal of this project is to use the TSU Wetland Observatory as an educational and research platform that supports a series of challenging laboratory activities and course projects involving courses taught by five faculty members in two departments. This project will improve student learning and research experiences in biology, ecology, environmental microbiology, and wetland hydrology. Each year the project will benefit over 250 students in a variety of courses. In addition, the TSU Wetland Observatory will serve as a convenient, safe and meaningful education site for public and high school students. Course materials and data developed in this project will be disseminated through workshops, education meetings, journal publications, and a dedicated website. In so doing the project will broaden the knowledge base regarding effective practices to improve undergraduate STEM learning.This project is funded jointly by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education in support of efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education: A Call to Action http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/.