This REU Site at University of Michigan Biological Station will engage students in research that examines how virtually all ecological systems are now being influenced by global change drivers such as rising temperatures, altered precipitation, altered soil moisture, increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 and ozone, deposition of reactive nitrogen, invasive species, and habitat loss. Multiple global change drivers typically interact with one another; for instance, rising temperatures may interact synergistically with increasing ozone levels to impede terrestrial carbon storage, and with reduced soil moisture and increased atmospheric nitrogen deposition to facilitate the spread of invasive plant and animal species. Such biosphere-atmosphere-hydrosphere interactions are poorly understood, but are crucial components of global change science. It is therefore very important to train promising young researchers to identify and quantify these interactions in order that they may ultimately help solve the increasingly complex environmental problems of the 21st century.
The ultimate goal of this interdisciplinary REU program at University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) is to nurture young scientists to enter research careers addressing atmospheric, hydrological, and ecological causes and consequences of global change. The program provides comprehensive training via intensively mentored individual research projects, workshops in biogeochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, global change, ecology, experimental design and statistics, professional ethics, and communication, a weekly biosphere-atmosphere-hydrosphere reading group, and attendance at UMBS research seminars. The program emphasizes active participation by REU students in all phases of high quality research, from hypothesis formation through presentation of results in oral and written formats. Recruitment efforts will be expanded to include more partnerships with Underrepresented Minority Serving Institutions and institutions with limited opportunities for STEM research (including an on-site presence of faculty), a Recruiting Event at UMBS, and support for prior REU students to act as student ambassadors for the program.
