IRES Track I: The origins of magnetite-pipes in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa and their strategic-mineral resources

该项目将从德克萨斯理工大学（TTU）招募三批学生参加国际学生研究经验（IRES），研究南非布什维尔德复杂东翼磁铁矿管道结构的起源和发展。参与者队列将包括接受媒体和通信培训的学生，他们将通过实时社交媒体平台记录研究经验，并整理媒体材料以制作IRES经验的短纪录片。学生将进行以地球科学为中心的研究，记录管状结构的发生，并应用实验室技术来了解它们的组成，物理性质和起源。管道结构含有大量的磁铁矿，这是一种重要的铁矿石资源，还可能含有大量具有经济意义的磷、钒、钛和稀有元素，如锆、铌和钽。学生将发展研究和沟通技能，描述和分析这些重要的矿产和金属资源，这些资源对高科技，国防和电信行业的经济优先事项至关重要。与会者还将有机会参观采矿地点，了解这些战略资源的开采和加工。一个平行的研究流将寻求解决为什么西班牙裔学生的留学计划参与率显着低于机构入学人口统计数据。使用学生制作的媒体，定制的沟通策略，吸引不同的学生群体在TTU将被用来开发模型，以扩大在海外留学计划的参与。通过与南非研究人员和学生的合作，该计划将促进知识，观点，文化经验的交流，并提高美国学生对矿产资源勘探，开采和供应链全球规模挑战的认识。媒体传播产品将提供给TTU国际事务办公室用于宣传和招聘目的。更广泛地说，该机构将使用这些材料来促进德克萨斯理工大学教育的全球性。带着我们的宝贝远走高飞？在全球环境下的沟通？质量提升计划。参与者将获得一系列增值教育和专业发展机会（沟通技能，领导力，文化意识），这将促进和推动他们进入工作场所的准备。磁铁矿-钛铁矿-磷灰石组合体富含铁-钛-磷（Fe-Ti-P），在世界各地都有发现。一些矿床含有罕见的高丰度钛（Ti）和钒（V），可以开采这些更有价值的资源，这些资源在能源，电子和高科技领域的应用越来越受欢迎。布什维尔德综合体可能占世界的90%？中国已探明的V2 O 5资源，其中相当大的比例集中在以磁铁矿为主的层状和管状结构中。尽管其经济潜力的管道是很少研究的功能，具有未知的分布，产状和体积，不良的约束关系与较大的布什维尔德复杂和少数描述其岩石学不同意其岩石成因。一个平行的媒体和传播研究流将为STEM和留学项目招募更多样化的学生群体的战略提供信息。建立来自不同学科的参与者群体将使STEM和非STEM学生对其他研究领域的看法得到审查，并将审查促进对复杂的全球结构（如战略性矿业）的跨学科意识的战略。长期目标将是促进参与者熟悉科学研究方法，特别是来自代表性不足的社区，他们正在考虑申请研究生课程。包括在R上的IRES程序？总和？美国将加强研究生课程的应用程序包，提高他们的竞争力，资助提供的录取，这是公认的代表性不足，第一代大学生考虑研究生院的重要考虑因素。该计划还将通过提供一定程度的准备来应对来自这些群体的学生所面临的共同挑战，从而促进研究生研究参与者的成功（例如冒名顶替综合症、归属感和地方感，整合到一个研究密集型部门）该奖项反映了NSF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进行评估，被认为值得支持的搜索.

The project will recruit three cohorts of students from Texas Tech University (TTU) to participate in an International Research Experience for Students (IRES) studying the origins and development of magnetite-pipe structures in the eastern limb of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Participant cohorts will include students with media and communication training who will document the research experience via real-time social-media platforms, and collate media materials to produce short documentaries of the IRES experience. The students will pursue Geoscience-centric research documenting the occurrence of the pipe-like structures, and apply laboratory techniques to understand their composition, physical properties and origins. The pipe-structures contain significant abundances of magnetite, an important iron-ore resource, and may also contain economically significant abundances of phosphor, vanadium titanium and rare elements such as zirconium, niobium and tantalum. The students will develop research and communication-skills in describing and analyzing these important mineral and metal resources that are critical to economic priorities in the high-tech, defense and telecommunication industries. Participants will also have opportunities to visit mining locations to learn about the extraction and processing of these strategic resources. A parallel research stream will seek to address why Study Abroad Program participation rates by Hispanic students are significantly lower compared to institutional enrollment demographics. Using student produced media, customized communication strategies that appeal to different student populations at TTU will be used to develop models for broadening participation in Study Abroad Programs. Through collaboration with South African researchers and students the program will foster exchange of knowledge, perspectives, cultural experiences and raise awareness of global-scale challenges in mineral resource exploration, exploitation and supply-chains in U.S. students. The Media & Communication products will be available to the TTU Office of International Affairs for promotion and recruitment purposes. More broadly, the materials will be used by the institution to promote the global nature of a Texas Tech education under the ?Bear our Banners Far and Wide ? Communication in a Global Environment? Quality Enhancement Plan. Participants will receive an array of value-added educational and professional development opportunities (communication skills, leadership, cultural awareness) that will promote and advance their preparation for entering the work-place. Magnetite-ilmenite-apatite assemblages that are enriched in iron-titanium-phosphor (Fe-Ti-P) are found in a variety of localities worldwide. Some deposits contain uncommonly high abundances of titanium (Ti) and vanadium (V) and may be exploited for these more valuable resources, which are increasingly sought after for applications in the energy, electronics and high-technology sectors. The Bushveld Complex contains perhaps as much as 90% of the world?s proven V2O5 resources, significant proportions of which are concentrated in layers and pipe-like structures dominated by magnetite. Despite their economic potential the pipes are little studied features that have an unknown distribution, occurrence and volume, poorly constrained relationships with the larger Bushveld Complex and the few descriptions of their petrology have disagreed on their petrogenetic origin. A parallel media and communication research-stream will inform strategies for the recruitment of more diverse student cohorts to STEM and Study Abroad programs. Building participant cohorts from different disciplines will enable perceptions held by STEM and non-STEM students about other fields of study to be examined and strategies to promote inter-disciplinary awareness on complex global structures, such as the strategic-mineral industry, will be examined. The longer-term goal will be to foster familiarization with scientific research methods among participants, particularly from under-represented communities, who are considering applying to graduate programs. Inclusion of the IRES program on R?sum?s will strengthen graduate program application packages increasing their competitiveness for funded offers of admission, which is recognized to be an important consideration for under-represented and first-generation college students considering graduate school. The program will also promote success of participants in graduate research by providing a level of preparedness to counter common challenges faced with students from such cohorts (e.g. imposter syndrome, sense of belonging and place, integration into a research-intensive Department).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.