REU Site: Climate Change Science, Impacts, and Resilience

地球气候的快速变化正在对许多不同领域产生重大影响，包括动物和植物生命、海洋和河流、人类健康和经济。 这个本科生研究经验（REU）网站将对这些问题感兴趣的本科生与专业导师配对，进行为期10周的重点研究经验计划。 该网站特别鼓励代表性不足的学生参与，他们传统上没有机会将他们的研究想法变为现实，并与领先的科学家合作。学生从一系列研究课题中进行选择，如检测数据中的气候变化信号，调查对当地和全球海洋物种的影响，运行和解释预测模型，评估北极海冰预测，以及可视化和传达气候变化信息。 在他们的研究经验结束时，学生提出他们的研究结果在一个程序研讨会，然后在第二年的全国本科生研究会议。 该项目的目标是为学生提供知识，工具，并有机会与气候专业人士建立联系，这将增加学生对气候系统的了解，并为他们在课程结束后继续研究提供坚实的基础。全球气候变化的加速步伐需要新一代的科学家和传播者，他们不仅了解基础科学，而且能够有效地将其传达给决策者。这个REU网站提供的研究经验将汇集在阿什维尔，北卡罗来纳州地区的主要气候组织，提供一个综合的气候为重点的计划。该计划将加强区域主办机构（北卡罗来纳州阿什维尔大学）和这些组织之间的现有关系，为参与学生建立气候社区的联系，并为传统上代表性不足的学生提供独特的机会，参与具有深远社会影响的领域的研究。 通过他们的研究项目，演讲，会议和社会互动，学生参与者将与其他学生，他们的导师，教师和其他专业科学家建立联系，这些联系将持续到夏季体验结束后。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

Rapid changes in the Earth’s climate are having significant impacts in a number of different areas, including animal and plant life, oceans and rivers, human health, and the economy. This Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) site pairs undergraduate students interested in these problems with professional mentors for a focused, 10-week research experience program. The site particularly encourages participation for underrepresented students who traditionally do not have the opportunity to bring their research ideas into reality and work with leading scientists. Students choose from a set of research topics such as detecting climate change signals in data, investigating impacts on local and global marine species, running and interpreting forecast models, evaluating Arctic sea ice forecasts, and visualization and communicating climate change information. At the end of their research experience, students present their findings at a program symposium and then at a national undergraduate research conference the following year. The goal of the project is to provide students with the knowledge, tools, and a chance to network with climate professionals which will increase student understanding of the climate system and provide them with a solid foundation to continue their research well after the end of the program.The accelerating pace of global climate change demands a new generation of scientists and communicators who not only understand the underlying science but can effectively translate it to decision makers. The research experience offered by this REU site will bring together the major climate organizations in the Asheville, NC area to offer an integrated climate-focused program. The program will strengthen existing relationships between the regional host institution (University of North Carolina Asheville) and these organizations, establish connections in the climate community for participating students, and provide unique opportunities for traditionally underrepresented students to participate in research in an area with profound societal implications. Through their research project, presentations, meetings, and social interactions, student participants will develop connections with other students, their mentors, faculty, and other professional scientists that will persist well beyond the end of the summer experience.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.