This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site program is a collaboration of the City University of New York (CUNY) and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) based on geoscience, Sun-Earth interaction, atmospheric science and global climate impacts. It will create summer research opportunities and enrichment experiences for undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors at both the community college and senior college levels. Research topics include: Characterizing ozone distribution and transport in the lower troposphere, Distribution and dynamics of atmospheric aerosols, Measuring atmospheric aerosols in an urban environment, Wetland carbon project, Urban heat island research, Scanning FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) remote sensing of hazardous aerosols, Ocean mixing model, Interactions between the solar wind and the Earth's ionosphere/magnetosphere. Each year ten students will be recruited and at least five students will be placed at GISS. It is expected that underrepresented minorities will represent 60 percent and females will represent 40 percent of the participants and the recruitment area will be the CUNY and New York City Region (Southern New York State, Northern New Jersey and Southern Connecticut). Participation in enrichment activities will be required, e.g., workshops on background material and developing research skills, faculty seminars, and student progress presentations. Faculty and scientists will encourage students to continuing their research during the academic year. The CUNY faculty and GISS scientists have a strong record of working with underrepresented students and advancing student through the STEM pathway to graduate study in areas in which fewer students are selecting as careers and where the loss of retired scientists is significant.
Broader impacts of the project include the expansion of this unique urban collaboration so that more undergraduate students in Greater NYC (New York City) can experience the rich scientific research and the diversity of the environment of CUNY/GISS. Students will be involved in cutting edge research in global climate change with access to a NASA research center with the strong potential of stimulating student interest in atmospheric and Earth and space science. This experience will motivate students including underrepresented minorities and women to pursue for research and professional careers in these areas.
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
