This award provides funds to the department of biology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque to establish an REU Program at the Sevilleta LTER site. Ten undergraduates will participate in long-term ecological research projects in central New Mexico. As part of the NSF Long-Term Ecological Research Network, the Sevilleta LTER site provides students with a unique opportunity to examine ecological processes at the boundaries of several major southwestern biomes (Chihuahuan Desert, Great Plains Grassland, Great Basin Shrub-Steppe, Interior Chaparral, Pinon- Juniper Woodland and Sub-Alpine Forest). Working in direct association with the 19 LTER faculty researchers, the REU students will become involved in a wide variety of ecology studies, including meteorology, botany, zoology, watershed dynamics, nutrient cycling, landscape ecology, GIS and data management/computer systems. Students will participate in a seminar series, learn various field research techniques, design and implement their own research project, orally report and publish their results, and travel to a national scientific meeting with the LTER faculty. These activities will serve to integrate various aspects of the LTER Program, and facilitate a holistic approach to ecosystem studies.
