REU Site: Summer Research Program in Ecology at Harvard Forest

该REU网站奖授予位于马萨诸塞州彼得舍姆的哈佛大学哈佛森林，将在2024年至2026年的夏季为10名学生提供为期11周的培训。预计总共有30名学生将接受该项目的培训，这些学生主要来自研究机会有限的学校或代表性不足的群体。该项目优先创建一个包容的社区，学生可以想象自己在科学领域占有一席之地。将学生与来自科学网络的同事联系起来，将有助于学生在加入国家劳动力之前建立专业联系。一系列的活动（例如，研讨会，数据分析和管理研讨会，校园参观，职业论坛）为学生提供了无数的专业发展机会。学生将学习如何进行研究，许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。该计划的评估将通过在线工具完成。学生应使用NSF ETAP（教育和培训应用程序：https://etap.nsf.gov）.The)申请REU网站，该计划的目标是激励和授权下一代生态学家和环境科学家，他们将在不同的跨学科团队中工作，以理解并找到紧迫的长期生态挑战的公平解决方案。智力的重点是让学生参与长期的、基于地点的生态研究。学生们加入研究团队，在时间、社会生态和观察尺度上进行批判性思考。他们学习不同的生态调查方法，并参与科学努力的伦理和社会正义背景。项目范围包括调查植物根系与土壤微生物之间的相互作用，与当地Nipmuc部落共同开展研究以应对土地管理方面的挑战，了解入侵昆虫对森林生物多样性的影响，以及将碳循环的长期测量和近期预测联系起来。哈佛森林作为多个网络的一部分，包括LTER， ForestGEO， Ameriflux和NEON，因此学生研究人员有丰富的机会将基于站点的工作连接到跨站点和宏观系统规模。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。

This REU Site award to Harvard University’s Harvard Forest, located in Petersham, MA, will support the training of 10 students for 11 weeks during the summers of 2024- 2026. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. The program prioritizes creating an inclusive community in which students can envision themselves having a place in science. Linking students with colleagues from scientific networks will help students develop professional contacts before they join the nation’s workforce. An array of activities (e.g., seminars, data analysis and management workshops, campus visits, career forum) give students myriad opportunities for professional development. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of this program will be done through an online tool. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application: https://etap.nsf.gov).The goal of the program is to inspire and empower the next generation of ecologists and environmental scientists who will work in diverse, interdisciplinary teams to understand and find equitable solutions to pressing long-term ecological challenges. The intellectual focus is to engage students in the long-term, place-based nature of ecological research. Students join research teams who think critically across temporal, socioecological, and observational scales. They learn about diverse methods of ecological inquiry and engage with the ethical and social justice contexts of the endeavor of science. Projects range from investigating interactions among plant roots and soil microbes, co-developing research with the local Nipmuc tribe to address land stewardship challenges, understanding the impacts of invasive insects on forest biodiversity, and connecting long-term measurements and near-term forecasts of the carbon cycle. Harvard Forest has the distinction of being part of multiple networks including LTER, ForestGEO, Ameriflux, and NEON, so student researchers have rich opportunities to connect site-based work to cross-site and macrosystems scales.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.