REU Site: Place-based Conservation Science in Hawaiian Ecosystems

这个REU网站奖给位于希洛的夏威夷大学，将支持10名学生在2018年至2020年夏季的10周培训。REU计划主要强调退化生态系统中的热带生态研究。实习生将参加专业发展，实地考察和推广，参加国家的年度保护科学会议，并准备口头报告和期末论文。这项工作有望通过密集的写作培训，以解决方案为导向的研究课题和支持性的计划结构，为下一代环境问题解决者点燃研究事业的火花。该计划通过调查退化的空间分布以及弹性社区的生态系统功能，集中关注退化生态系统的健康和恢复。主要重点将是吸引学生对环境充满热情，培养信心，技能和能力，以实现积极的变化，并在这一领域追求可行的职业生涯。预计共有30名学生，主要是代表性不足的少数民族学生（特别是夏威夷土著和太平洋岛民），第一代大学生和几乎没有研究经验的学生，将与多元化的教师导师团队合作，专注于退化景观的生态学项目。学生将学习如何进行研究，并在内部研讨会以及在科学conferences.A共同使用的基于网络的评估工具，由生物基础设施司资助的所有REU网站程序的工作成果将被用来确定培训计划的有效性，以及多种内部方法。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：//hilo.hawaii.edu/uhintern，或联系PI（Ostertag博士，ostertag@hawaii.edu）、联合PI（Puniwai-Ganoot博士，npuniwai@hawaii.edu）或项目协调员（Linnea Heu和Rita米勒，uhintern@hawaii.edu）。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This REU Site award to University of Hawaii at Hilo, located in Hilo, HI, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2018-2020. The REU program places primary emphasis on tropical ecological research in degraded ecosystems. Interns will participate in professional development, field trips, and outreach, attend the State's annual conservation science conference, and prepare an oral presentation and final paper. This work is expected to spark the research careers for the next generation of environmental problem-solvers through intensive writing training, solution-oriented research topics, and a supportive program structure. The program concentrates on the health and restoration of degraded ecosystems by investigating the spatial spread of degradation as well as ecosystem functioning of resilient communities. The primary focus will be on attracting students with a passion for the environment and nurturing the confidence, skill set and ability to effect positive change and pursue a viable career in this field. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily underrepresented minority students (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander in particular), first-generation college students, and students with little to no research experience, will work with a diverse team of faculty mentors on projects focused on the ecology of degraded landscapes. Students will learn how research is conducted, and present the results of their work at an internal symposium as well as at scientific conferences.A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program as well as multiple internal methods. 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://hilo.hawaii.edu/uhintern, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Ostertag at ostertag@hawaii.edu), co-PI (Dr. Puniwai-Ganoot at npuniwai@hawaii.edu), or project coordinators (Linnea Heu and Rita Miller at uhintern@hawaii.edu).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.