REU Site: Ecohydrology of Tropical Montane Forests—Diversity in Science, Interdisciplinary Breadth, and Global Awareness

REU 网站：热带山地森林的生态水文学 — 科学多样性、跨学科广度和全球意识

• 批准号: 2150441
• 负责人: Peyton Smith
• 金额: $ 77.86万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M AgriLife Research
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-01-01 至 2026-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2150441&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; Ecohydrology; Tropical; Montane

This REU site will support eight students per year, recruited nationwide from 2-year and 4-year institutions, to participate in a 10-week international research experience. Participants will work under the guidance of Texas A&M University (TAMU) faculty from four colleges (Agriculture and Life Sciences, Engineering, Geosciences, and Bush School of Government), alongside international experts based in Costa Rica. Participants will spend 5 weeks on-campus at TAMU and 5 weeks at the TAMU Soltis Center near San Isidro de Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica. This program aims to enhance student development towards future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by A) demonstrating the foundational importance of Diversity in Science; B) instilling competencies and appreciation for Interdisciplinary Breadth while broadening awareness of the interconnection between forests, water, people, and planet; and C) fostering Global Awareness by providing a transformational international research experience within the tropical forest and nearby sites. In addition to conducting research projects, students will undertake professional development activities to foster their acceptance of a place in STEM research and continuing education and participate in cultural exchanges and hands-on learning projects that enhance their ability to live and work effectively in a diverse and global society. The expected outcomes include joint faculty-student publications in leading research journals, research conference presentations, and studies to assess the success of international field experiences. The project directors will share strategies to recruit diverse student cohorts, program design and management, and building successful international REU programs through workshops and other far-reaching outlets.The unique learning environment of this international REU site supports crosscutting discoveries that relate changing climate and land management to tropical ecosystem function and associated hydrological services provided by forests for local communities, e.g., clean reliable drinking water and hydropower generation. Key science questions will include, among others: how will altered climate affect tropical forest ecosystem function, water reliability, biodiversity, and soil carbon sequestration?; how does land management affect the land-atmosphere interaction through changes in evapotranspiration, leaf wetness duration, and productivity?; and how are hydrological services provided by forests for local communities affected by climate, land management, and natural geology? Our recruitment and multi-phase selection process prioritizes potential impact from this REU, appropriate expectations and attitudes, and contribution to diversity of the cohort. Cohort-building activities are designed to create an inclusive and supportive learning community to improve skills in critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration. Educational program assessment will also be conducted to understand the full timeline of student experience and self-conception as researchers. In addition to standard pre- and post-program surveys, more frequent assessments will be used to evaluate students’ experiences with overconfidence versus struggle cycles for various aspects of the research process. Additional outcomes of this program include workshops through the TAMU Center for Teaching Excellence and assisting with the TAMU Office of Undergraduate Research on topics such as application design, processes for recruitment and selection, setting appropriate expectations, cohort-building, designing professional development aimed at ‘entering research’, and building successful international programs outside of the study abroad model.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.

此REU网站将每年为八名学生提供支持，该学生在全国范围内从2年和4年的机构中招募，以参加为期10周的国际研究经验。参与者将与位于哥斯达黎加的国际专家一起，在得克萨斯A＆M大学（TAMU）教师的指导下（TAMU）教师（农业与生命科学，工程，地球科学和布什政府学院）工作。参与者将在TAMU呆5周，在哥斯达黎加San IsidrodepeñasBlancas附近的Tamu Soltis中心5周。该计划旨在通过a）证明多样性在科学中的基本重要性； b）灌输能力和对跨学科广度的欣赏，同时扩大了对森林，水，人和星球之间相互联系的认识； c）通过在热带森林和附近的地点提供变革型的国际研究经验来促进全球意识。除了进行研究项目外，学生还将开展专业发展活动，以促进他们在STEM研究中的接受，继续教育以及参与文化交流和动手学习项目，以增强其在多样性和全球社会中有效生活和工作的能力。预期的结果包括领先的研究期刊，研究会议演讲和研究以评估国际现场经验的成功的联合教师出版物。该项目主管将分享招募潜水员的学生同伙，计划设计和管理的策略，并通过研讨会和其他深远的渠道建立成功的国际REU计划。该国际REU网站的独特学习环境支持将不断变化的气候和土地管理与热带生态系统与森林相关的水文服务与当地的水文服务相关的越野饮用者。关键的科学问题将包括：改变气候如何影响热带森林生态系统功能，水可靠性，生物多样性和土壤碳固存？土地管理如何通过蒸散量的变化，叶片湿度和生产力来影响土地大气相互作用？森林如何为受气候，土地管理和自然地质影响的当地社区提供水文服务？我们的招聘和多相选择过程优先考虑此REU的潜在影响，适当的期望和与会者，以及对同类多样性的贡献。队列建设活动旨在创建一个包容性和支持性的学习社区，以提高批判性思维，解决问题，沟通和协作的技能。还将进行教育计划评估，以了解作为研究人员的学生经验和自我概念的全部时间表。除了标准的前和程序后调查外，还将更频繁地评估研究过程的各个方面的过度自信与斗争周期的经验。该计划的其他结果包括通过TAMU卓越教学中心的研讨会，并协助TAMU的本科研究主题研究办公室，例如申请设计，招聘和选择的过程，设定了适当的期望，建立同事建设，设计专业发展旨在使用“进入研究”的专业发展，并使用研究范围构建了研究的国际奖励。基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。