REU Site: Interdisciplinary Research Experiences in Coastal Plain Science

This REU Site award to Georgia Southern University (GSU), located in Statesboro, GA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2019-2021. Housed at GSU's Institute for Coastal Plain Science, the unifying theme involves the impacts of global climate change stressors on organisms and ecosystems of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The goal is to engage undergraduates in research and professional development activities that promote an understanding of the unique physical and biological resources occurring in this geographic region as well as their sustainable use and management. Students will participate in hands-on research guided by faculty mentors, as well as in professional development workshops targeting general and conceptual knowledge in the ecology and geology of the coastal plain, scientific communication skills (oral and written), techniques for locating and evaluating primary literature, and ethical practices in science.

It is anticipated that a total of 30 students will be trained in the program. Recruitment is targeted at 1st and 2nd year (freshman/sophomore) students attending institutions in the southeastern U.S. where research opportunities may be more limited, such as at 2-year colleges and primarily undergraduate institutions. Students from underrepresented groups that comprise a large percentage of the population in the region are especially encouraged to apply. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. The goal is to foster an environment for learning and professional development that leads to opportunities in graduate studies and careers in science.

A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://cosm.georgiasouthern.edu/icps/REU/, or by contacting the PI (Dr. J. Checo Colon-Gaud at [email protected]) or the co-PI (Dr. Danny Gleason at [email protected]).

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.