An award has been made to Howard University to support twenty Environmental Biology Scholars through the NSF Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (URM) program. The program will provide two-year research experiences in environmental biology and ecology to four cohorts of scholars (five students per cohort) starting in spring 2011 and continuing through winter 2015. The Howard University Environmental Biology Scholars Program (HU-EBS) is designed to engage minority undergraduates in designing and implementing research projects that are creative, intellectually challenging and of high scientific merit with a thematic focus on environmental stress and evolutionary adaptation. Our primary goal is to recruit and prepare minority students for careers in environmental biology and plant science. Faculty will engage students in field research and laboratory research related to environmental stress (drought, heavy metals, habitat alteration, climate change) in populations, communities and ecosystems. Scholars will be selected based on their interests, career goals, enthusiasm and ability for productive research as determined by personal interviews, academic performance, and letters of recommendation. Students will conduct research with faculty mentors at Howard during two academic years and summers. Students will prepare research manuscripts for publication and present their research at minority student-centered meetings (Beta Kappa Chi, HBCU-UP, SACNAS) and at national scientific meetings such as the Ecological Society of America and the Botanical Society of America. We will build a supportive community through three types of group meetings each month: Research Forum, Environmental Biology Seminar Series, and the SEEDS Student Leadership Forum. Evaluation of program success will include annual pre- and post assessments to determine how our program develops and sustains participant's knowledge, skills, interest and career choices in biology. The Environmental Biology Scholars program has created a community of learning and peer support that is changing the perspective of HU students and generating a new awareness of career opportunities in environmental biology. More information is available by contacting Mary McKenna mmckenna@howard.edu.
