REU Site: Basic and Environmental Soil Science Training (BESST)

土壤对社会至关重要，因为它们在农业和环境过程中发挥着作用，包括调节气候和提供清洁水的作用。然而，接受过特定土壤专业知识培训的科学家人数正在迅速减少。本科生基础与环境土壤科学培训（best）研究经验（REU）站点将为来自一系列STEM背景的本科生提供指导，以土壤为重点的研究机会。这个REU站点的总体目标是为下一代地球科学研究人员开发一个急需的管道，配备解决土壤中广泛的研究问题。该项目将培养多样化的学生群体，在他们的职业生涯中参与解决重要的社会和生态问题。该项目旨在发展土壤科学的新模式，将学生招生和培训扩展到传统的农业基础之外，并将土壤科学转变为地球科学研究界的一个组成部分。学生的研究机会将突出人类活动与陆地环境之间的关系，这是现代土壤科学的中心主题，广泛适用于地球和环境科学的许多其他分支学科。通过这种独特的产品和有针对性地招募地球科学中代表性不足的群体，该计划将吸引多样化的学生研究人员，并促进他们对研究事业的追求，特别强调土壤学术，工业和非营利职业道路的潜力。best REU网站利用一个多样化的、多学科的科学家团队，通过统一的主题和团队培训机会，为最先进的土壤科学主题提供个性化的学生研究经验。best REU的具体目标是：i)招收在土壤科学方面没有丰富经验的优秀学生，重点是来自代表性不足的群体的学生；Ii)通过在基础和环境土壤科学方面提供实质性的研究经验和广泛的机会来培养这些学生，重点是食品、水和能源等社会相关领域；iii)培养一批未来的专业人才，以促进地球科学社区对土壤的理解。每年培训10名学员，连续培训3年。项目活动将由一所拥有完善的本科生研究基础设施的大学提供支持，并由在土壤科学方面具有长期国际卓越传统的部门主持。招生将通过部门和大学与本科服务机构、hbcu和国家本科研究组织的合作进行。该计划将由外部专家进行评估，以确保最佳REU得到严格评估，并最大限度地发挥教学影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Soils are critically important to society for their roles in agriculture and environmental processes, including those that regulate climate and provide clean water. Yet, the number of scientists trained with specific soils expertise is rapidly declining. The Basic and Environmental Soil Science Training (BESST) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site will provide mentored, soils-focused research opportunities for undergraduate students recruited from a range of STEM backgrounds. The overarching goal for this REU Site is to develop a critically needed pipeline for the next generation of geoscience researchers, equipped to address wide-ranging research problems in soils. The program will train a diverse group of students to engage in addressing important societal and ecological issues throughout their careers. The program seeks to develop a new paradigm for soil science, extending student recruitment and training beyond traditional foundations in agriculture, and transforming soil science into an integral part of the geoscience research community. Student research opportunities will highlight relationships between human activities and terrestrial environments, which are central topics in modern soil science that are broadly applicable to many other sub-disciplines of the Earth and environmental sciences. With this unique offering and targeted recruitment of underrepresented groups in the geosciences, the program will attract a diverse pool of student researchers and facilitate their pursuit of research careers with specific emphases on the potential for academic, industry, and non-profit career paths in soils. The BESST REU Site utilizes a diverse, multi-disciplinary team of scientists to deliver individualized student research experiences in state-of-the art soil science topics, synergized through unifying themes and team training opportunities. Specific objectives for the BESST REU are to: i) recruit outstanding students without extensive previous experience in soil science, with an emphasis on those from under-represented groups; ii) train these students by providing a substantive research experience and exposure to broad opportunities in basic and environmental soil science, with an emphasis on socially relevant areas of food, water, and energy; and iii) develop a pool of future professionals empowered to advance understanding of soils in the geoscience community. Ten students will be trained each year for three consecutive years. Program activities will be supported by a university with well-developed infrastructure for undergraduate student research, and hosted by a department with a long-standing tradition of international excellence in soil science. Student recruitment will be pursued through departmental and university collaboration with undergraduate-serving institutions, HBCUs, and national undergraduate research organizations. The program will be assessed by external experts to ensure that the BESST REU is rigorously evaluated and pedagogic impact maximized.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.