REU Site: Dynamic Urban Environmental Systems and Sustainability in Newark, NJ

REU 站点：新泽西州纽瓦克的动态城市环境系统和可持续性

• 批准号: 1851976
• 负责人: Ashaki Rouff
• 金额: $ 35.92万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University Newark
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1851976&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; Dynamic; Urban; Environmental

The Dynamic Urban Environmental Systems and Sustainability (DUESS) REU site in Newark, New Jersey engages students in research related to the environment and sustainability in urban settings. Participants are from groups underrepresented in the Geosciences, include community college students, and either attend urban institutions or live in urban areas. The focus on urban systems allows students to conduct research relevant to their daily lives and communities, and demonstrates how scientific research can benefit society. Students are mentored by research active faculty at Rutgers University-Newark, receive professional development training, participate in enrichment activities, and interface with Newark community organizations and local government. Students are guided to pathways from community college and 4-year programs to careers in research. Creating career pathways for underrepresented students is essential, as racial minorities comprise 33% of the U.S. population, but only 14% of employed scientists and engineers. This represents an untapped human resource potential for STEM careers. Maximizing human resource potential is especially critical for urban areas, such as Newark, where there is a need for trained professionals to advance local environmental and sustainability efforts. The DUESS REU is designed to reinforce the interest of the students in Earth and Environmental Sciences, and have them appreciate the value of organized scientific research. It provides a critical link from success in college to graduate school and a potential research career. The result is improved participation and diversity in the Geosciences, and an increase in the number of appropriately trained scientists to meet the growing need nationwide.DUESS REU participants will investigate the impact of concentrated human activity on the environment (soils, water, air, biota) and sustainability in urban systems. Students develop research projects within areas of faculty research expertise in Near Surface Geophysics, Urban Geochemistry & Biogeochemistry, and Urban Ecology, Sustainability & Biodiversity. The participants are primarily underrepresented minority (URM) students from 2-year and 4-year urban institutions. Students conduct DUESS themed research with faculty mentors; participate in professional development to integrate the research experience with the educational pathway; and engage in supporting activities that promote student-student, student-faculty and student-community interactions. The DUESS REU has six goals. 1) Recruit and provide research experiences and support for 3 cohorts of 12 academically talented students who are at least 60% URM and 50% Community College students by leveraging other NSF and non-NSF-funded programs at Rutgers University-Newark. 2) Develop an integrated research program for undergraduates that exposes them to cutting edge geoscience techniques. 3) Develop a research experience that builds from learning research techniques to helping formulate research plans. 4) Develop a model to engage urban URM students in advanced research by making it pertinent to their lives and interests. 5) Establish a clear pathway to encourage students to pursue careers in science that involve research. 6) Change the culture of the program to better incorporate integrated undergraduate research into the curriculum. This project will increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing careers in research and science, through a model for group place-based research in an urban environment that may be replicated in urban areas nationwide.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.

位于新泽西州纽瓦克的动态城市环境系统和可持续性 (DUESS) REU 站点让学生参与与城市环境和可持续性相关的研究。参与者来自地球科学领域代表性不足的群体，包括社区学院的学生，他们要么就读于城市机构，要么居住在城市地区。对城市系统的关注使学生能够进行与他们的日常生活和社区相关的研究，并展示科学研究如何造福社会。学生由罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校活跃的研究教师指导，接受专业发展培训，参加丰富活动，并与纽瓦克社区组织和当地政府进行互动。学生将被引导进入从社区大学和四年制课程到研究职业的道路。为代表性不足的学生创造职业道路至关重要，因为少数族裔占美国人口的 33%，但仅占就业科学家和工程师的 14%。这代表了 STEM 职业尚未开发的人力资源潜力。最大限度地发挥人力资源潜力对于纽瓦克等城市地区尤其重要，因为那里需要训练有素的专业人员来推进当地的环境和可持续发展工作。 DUESS REU 旨在增强学生对地球和环境科学的兴趣，并让他们认识到有组织的科学研究的价值。它提供了从大学成功到研究生院以及潜在研究职业的关键联系。其结果是提高了地球科学的参与度和多样性，并增加了受过适当培训的科学家数量，以满足全国范围内不断增长的需求。DUESS REU 参与者将调查集中的人类活动对环境（土壤、水、空气、生物群）的影响。 ）和城市系统的可持续性。学生在近地表地球物理学、城市地球化学和生物地球化学以及城市生态学、可持续性和生物多样性等教师研究专业领域内开发研究项目。参与者主要是来自两年制和四年制城市院校的少数族裔 (URM) 学生。学生与教师导师一起进行 DUESS 主题研究；参与专业发展，将研究经验与教育途径相结合；参与促进学生与学生、学生与教师以及学生与社区互动的支持活动。 DUESS REU 有六个目标。 1) 利用罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校的其他 NSF 和非 NSF 资助的项目，招募并为 3 批 12 名学术才华横溢的学生提供研究经验和支持，这些学生至少 60% 是 URM 学生，50% 是社区学院学生。 2) 为本科生制定综合研究计划，让他们接触最先进的地球科学技术。 3) 培养从学习研究技术到帮助制定研究计划的研究经验。 4) 开发一种模型，让城市URM学生参与高级研究，使其与他们的生活和兴趣相关。 5）建立一条明确的途径，鼓励学生从事涉及研究的科学职业。 6）改变项目文化，更好地将本科生研究整合到课程中。该项目将通过可在全国城市地区复制的城市环境中基于群体场所的研究模型，增加从事研究和科学职业的代表性不足的学生的数量。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。