REU Site: Understanding Coastal Ecosystems

该REU网站奖授予位于佛罗里达州迈阿密的佛罗里达国际大学，将在2023-2025年夏季期间每年培训10名学生，为期10周。预计这个REU网站将从全国范围内招募30名学生，这些学生主要来自研究机会有限的学校，以及那些传统上在科学领域代表性不足的群体。学生将学习如何开发一个独立的研究项目，重点是了解南佛罗里达州的标志性生态系统，以及人类和城市化对这些系统的影响。他们还将学习研究分析方法，根据他们的研究开发可行的解决方案，向多个受众传播科学，并将在最终的研究研讨会和专业科学会议上展示他们的成果。该计划的有效性评估将在网上进行。课程结束后，将对学生进行跟踪，以确定他们的职业道路。这个REU站点（了解沿海生态系统-从大沼泽地到珊瑚礁）的研究主题是沿海生态系统生态学和环境水生化学。具体来说，这项研究着眼于大沼泽地湿地、沿海红树林、海草床和浅水珊瑚礁的生态系统过程。研究课题旨在检测沿海污染物的来源，了解环境压力因素如何影响生物和种群，并测量快速变化的气候和土地利用下的生态系统响应。该项目整合了14个系和5个学院的研究人员，以建立跨学科项目和融合的研究经验。REU的学生将由教师、研究生和博士后研究人员组成的团队共同指导。该计划将提供研究方法的专业发展，负责任的研究行为，以及不同生态系统的实地经验。此外，学生们还将参加职业研讨会，培养多种STEM途径所需的技能，包括学术、机构、行业和非营利职位。有关该计划的更多信息可访问https://CoastalREU.fiu.edu或与PI联系（Todd Crowl博士在tcrowl@fiu.edu）。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

This REU Site award to Florida International University, located in Miami, FL, will support the training of 10 students per year for 10 weeks during the summers of 2023-2025. It is anticipated this REU Site will train a total of 30 students recruited from a nationwide pool, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, and those from groups traditionally underrepresented in science. Students will learn how to develop an independent research project focused on understanding the iconic ecosystems of South Florida, as well as the human and urbanization impacts on these systems. They will also learn research analysis methodologies, developing actionable solutions based on their research, communicating science to multiple audiences, and will present their results at a final research symposium and professional scientific conferences. Assessment of the program’s effectiveness will be conducted online. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. The research theme of this REU Site (Understanding Coastal Ecosystems - From the Everglades to the Coral Reefs) is coastal ecosystems ecology and environmental aquatic chemistry. Specifically, this research looks at ecosystems processes in the Everglades wetlands, coastal mangrove forests, seagrass beds and shallow water coral reefs. The research topics are designed to detect sources of coastal contaminants, understand how environmental stressors impact organisms and populations, and measure the ecosystem responses under rapidly changing climate and land use. The program integrates researchers across 14 departments and 5 colleges university-wide, to build interdisciplinary projects and convergent research experiences. REU students will be co-mentored by teams comprised of faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. The program will provide professional development on research methods, responsible conduct of research, as well as field experiences to different ecosystems. In addition, the students will attend career workshops that build the skills needed for multiple STEM pathways, including academic, agency, industry, and non-profit positions. More information about the program is available at https://CoastalREU.fiu.edu or by contacting the PI (Dr. Todd Crowl at tcrowl@fiu.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.