REU Site: Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Cave and Karst Science (U-ROCKS)

洞穴与喀斯特科学的本科生研究机会（U-ROCKS）是一个独特的本科生研究经验（REU）网站，让学生有机会探索洞穴与喀斯特科学的多学科领域。喀斯特是一种岩石（通常由碳酸盐组成，如石灰岩）与水相互作用而溶解的景观。随着岩石的溶解，地下洞穴和地下河流系统形成，地表特征如天坑、消失的溪流和泉水可能形成。喀斯特约占美国陆地面积的20%，美国近一半的饮用水来自喀斯特地下水（也称为喀斯特含水层）。来自喀斯特含水层的饮用水特别容易受到污染，喀斯特地表特征会影响在土地上建设的能力。因此，在洞穴和喀斯特科学方面受过训练的专家，如参加U-ROCKS的人，不仅在学术界，而且在涉及土地管理、水资源、交通和土木工程的职业和工作中都很有吸引力。该REU网站的招生过程将侧重于整合历史上代表性不足的群体的学生，包括每年从波多黎各大学系统中招收3-4名学生，以及从詹姆斯麦迪逊大学附近的地区社区学院招收类似数量的学生。U-ROCKS REU网站旨在提供原创和独立的良好指导的本科生研究经验，以及为学生的个人和专业成长提供周到的方法。U-ROCKS项目的主要目标是每年为10名有前途的本科生提供一个催化的、有意的和持续的体验。这将通过四种不同的途径实现。首先，学生将在导师的指导下进行独立的研究项目，研究与喀斯特有关的广泛学科项目；一些例子项目可能涉及空洞空间的地球物理表征，钟乳石样品的同位素地球化学分析以获取古气候，脆弱洞穴生态系统的分析，以及制定土地利用政策以保护水资源。其次，我们将组织洞穴和喀斯特科学研讨会，为学生提供广泛而坚实的基础，并让学生有机会与同伴分享他们的工作。第三，研讨会将有很强的个人和专业发展组成部分，重点关注多样性和包容性、科学伦理行为、科学身份、归属感、独立性和自我效能。最后，将重点通过同侪辅导和社会活动建立一个多元化的学习社区。U-ROCKS的第二个目标将是产生与洞穴和喀斯特科学相关的原创，多学科研究，导致摘要和出版物。这将通过强烈鼓励研究项目和导师/学员关系在十周的夏季会议之后继续实现。U-ROCKS项目的第三个目标是进一步丰富JMU的本科生辅导文化。这将通过提供一个导师研讨会来完成，使用由Christine Pfund和其他人开发的入门辅导课程。来自JMU科学与数学学院四个不同REU项目的导师将被邀请参加这次圆桌研讨会，分享经验和专业知识，以提高JMU已经强大的社区的指导能力。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。

Undergraduate Research Opportunities for Cave and Karst Science (U-ROCKS) is a unique Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site that gives students an opportunity to explore the multi-disciplinary field of cave and karst science. Karst is a type of landscape where rocks (usually made of carbonate, like limestone) are dissolved by interaction with water. As the rocks dissolve, subsurface caves and underground river systems are created, and surface features such as sinkholes, disappearing streams, and springs may form. Karst makes up about 20% of the land surface in the U.S., and nearly half of the drinking water in the US comes from karst groundwater sources (also known as karst aquifers). Drinking water from karst aquifers is particularly vulnerable to contamination, and karst surface features can affect the ability to build on the land. Therefore, specialists trained in cave and karst science, such as those who participate in U-ROCKS, are attractive not only in the academy, but for careers and work involving land management, water resources, transportation, and civil engineering. The recruitment process for this REU site will focus on the integration of students from historically underrepresented groups, including a cohort of 3-4 students per year from the University of Puerto Rico system, and a similar number from regional community colleges near James Madison University. U-ROCKS REU site is designed to provide an original and independent well mentored undergraduate research experience, as well as a thoughtful approach to the students’ personal and professional growth. The primary goal of the U-ROCKS program is to provide a catalytic, intentional, and sustained experience for a diverse group of ten promising undergraduate students each year. This will be accomplished via four different pathways. First, the students will conduct mentored independent research projects working on projects related to karst over a broad range of disciplines; some example projects might involve the geophysical characterization of void spaces, isotopic geochemical analysis of stalactite samples to get at paleoclimate, analysis of a fragile cave ecosystem, and development of land use policy to protect water resources. Secondly, we will organize scientific workshops in cave and karst science to provide a broad and solid foundation and give students opportunities to share their work with the cohort. Thirdly, the workshops will have a strong personal and professional development component, with a focus on diversity and inclusion, scientific ethical behavior, scientific identity, belongingness, independence, and self-efficacy. Finally, there will be a focus on building a diverse learning community through peer mentoring and social activities. The secondary goal of U-ROCKS will be to generate original, multi-disciplinary research related to cave and karst science, leading to abstracts and publications. This will be accomplished by strongly encouraging research projects and the mentor/mentee relationships to continue beyond the ten-week summer session. The tertiary goal of the U-ROCKS program will be to further enrich JMU’s culture of undergraduate mentoring. This will be accomplished by offering a mentor workshop using the Entering Mentoring curriculum developed by Christine Pfund and others. Mentors from four different REU programs housed within JMU’s College of Science and Mathematics will be invited to participate in this roundtable workshop, enabling the sharing of experience and expertise to increase the mentoring capacity within the already formidable JMU community.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.