REU Site: Understanding Arctic as a System

该项目将与一个积极参与北极系统研究的跨学科团队合作，通过本科生的教学和培训，为建设未来北极科学的研究能力做出贡献。学生们将把获得的经验带回他们的社区，并传播关于北极正在进行的令人兴奋的科学的信息。将重点放在代表性不足的少数群体上，将有助于扩大未来北极科学劳动力的基础。从暑期体验中产生的跨学科教育材料将提供给广泛的科学界。北极气候正在变化，需要一种综合的跨学科方法来理解和解释北极的变化及其影响。阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯分校的研究人员将建立一个新的REU网站，以吸引包括少数族裔学生在内的本科生学习北极科学。该项目的总体目标是在极地科学前沿传播新知识和发现，激发本科生对北极的热情，从而为发展一支多元化的、受环境教育的美国科学和工程队伍做出贡献。该计划的科学重点将是将北极作为一个系统来理解，并强调其物理组成部分。这些目标将通过为本科生组织暑期研究体验来实现，在此期间，学生将与他们的导师一起参与研究和教育项目，并利用与提议团队的合作。夏前和夏后的体验调查将提供成功的衡量标准。这种努力的学术价值在于，它侧重于跨学科和系统方法来理解北极环境。拟议的暑期体验计划将为参与的学生提供关于北极的当前知识状况。学生将受益于与他们的导师的密切互动，这些导师积极参与各自学科的持续研究和实地考察。虽然每个学生(或学生小组)都将参与一个单独的项目，但他们也将获得北极系统科学的广泛背景知识。除了常规的课堂教学外，学生还将参与与他们导师的研究项目相关的实地考察和实践活动。每一次对费尔班克斯的暑期访问都将在一个研讨会和学生与教师之间的讨论中达到高潮，在研讨会中，学生将展示他们的成果，并将有机会就当前的北极气候问题进行综合。

This project will contribute toward building research capacity of future arctic science through teaching and training of undergraduate students in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team actively involved in Arctic system research. Students will bring the acquired experience back to their communities and spread the message about the exciting science that is done in the Arctic. Focusing on under-represented minorities will help broaden the base of the future arctic science workforce. Interdisciplinary educational materials that
result from the summer experiences will be made available to a broad scientific community. The Arctic climate is changing and an integrated cross-disciplinary approach
is needed to understand and explain changes in the Arctic and their implications. Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will establish a new REU site to attract undergraduates, including students from minority groups, to arctic sciences. The overarching goal of the project is to disseminate new knowledge and discoveries at the
frontiers of polar science and ignite the enthusiasm of the undergraduates about the Arctic,
thus contributing to the development of a diverse and environmentally educated U.S. science
and engineering workforce. The science focus of this program will be on understanding Arctic as a system with emphasis on its physical components. The goals will be achieved by organizing summer research experience for undergraduates during which students will be involved in research and educational projects with their mentors and take advantage of collaboration with the proposing team. Pre- and post- summer experience surveys will provide metrics of success. The intellectual merit of this effort lies in focusing on the interdisciplinarity and the systems approach
to understanding the Arctic environment. The proposed program of summer experience will provide the participating students with the current state of knowledge about the Arctic. The students
will benefit from close interaction with their mentors who are actively involved in ongoing
research and fieldwork in their disciplines. While each student (or group of students) will
be involved in a separate project, they will be also provided with a broad context of Arctic
system science. In addition to regular classroom teaching students will be involved in field
trips and hands-on activities linked to research projects of their mentors. Each of the summer
visits to Fairbanks will culminate in a workshop and a discussion between students and instructors, in which the students will present their results and will have an opportunity to synthesize
about current problems of Arctic climate.