REU Site: Disturbance Ecology in Central Appalachia

这个REU网站奖给东肯塔基州大学，位于里士满，肯塔基州，将支持10名学生的培训10周，在2017年至2019年的夏天。学生将在里士满，并将在偏远的野外站进行生态研究，该地区生物多样性高，但受到山顶采煤，伐木和其他干扰的影响。学生将直接与教师导师和合作者，包括机构的专业人士，并将参与研究的各个方面，包括研究设计，数据收集，分析和结果的演示。每周一次的讲习班将提供更多的学习机会，涉及道德操守和负责任的行为研究、领导能力和职业发展等专题。参与者将与他们的社区和发展与科学家，土地管理者和公众的沟通技巧，同时探索自己的研究在一个充满争议的环境中的影响有关的经济和文化权衡资源开采和环境保护。研究结果可以帮助塑造资源管理的方式，带来社会经济效益的区域。预计共有30名学生，主要来自学校的研究机会有限，将在该计划中进行培训。学生参与者将包括来自研究地区的个人，以及来自全国其他地区的个人，通常来自非常不同的社会经济，种族和民族背景。 第一代大学生、残疾学生和退伍军人也将被招募。学生将学习如何进行研究和沟通，许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。由生物基础设施司（生物科学局）资助的所有REU计划使用的共同网络评估工具将用于确定培训计划的有效性。学生将在课程结束后进行跟踪，以确定他们的职业道路。学生将被要求通过NSF报告系统自动发送电子邮件。有关该计划的更多信息，请访问http：//biology.eku.edu/reu，或联系主要研究者（大卫·布朗博士，david. eku.edu）或联合主要研究者（斯蒂芬·里克特博士，stephen. eku.edu）。

This REU Site award to Eastern Kentucky University, located in Richmond, KY, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks, during the summers of 2017- 2019. Students will be based in Richmond, and will conduct ecological research at remote field stations in a region of high biodiversity but impacted by mountaintop coal mining, logging, and other disturbances. Students will work directly with faculty mentors and collaborators, including agency professionals, and will participate in all aspects of research including study design, data collection, analyses, and presentation of results. A weekly workshop will provide additional learning opportunities on topics such as ethics and the responsible conduct research, leadership, and career development. Participants will engage with their community and develop communication skills with scientists, land managers, and the public, while exploring the implications of their own research in a setting rife with controversy related to the economic and cultural tradeoffs of resource extraction and environmental conservation. Research findings could help shape resource management in a way that brings socioeconomic benefits to the region.It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Student participants will include individuals from the study region, and from other parts of the nation, often from very different socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. First generations college students, students with disabilities, and veterans will also be recruited. Students will learn how research is conducted and communicated, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://biology.eku.edu/reu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. David Brown at david.brown@eku.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Stephen Richter at stephen.richter@eku.edu).