This REU Site award to the University of Minnesota - Morris, located in Morris, MN, will support the training of a minimum of 6 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2014- 2016. This project is supported by the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the International Science and Engineering section in the Office of International and Integrative Affairs at NSF. Students with interest in biodiversity, biological systems, and traditional ecological knowledge will conduct research on the island of Borneo in Malaysia and at the University of Minnesota - Morris. Students can select from a number of interdisciplinary projects under the mentorship of both U.S. and Malaysian scientists. Research projects on plants, microorganisms, and other systems used to produce natural products are available for students to investigate. Students may also pursue projects in microbial biodiversity -- studying exotic terrestrial, freshwater, or marine microbes. Students will interact with U.S. and Malaysian faculty and students, as well as tribal "community scientists" from several Indigenous groups on the island of Borneo. Students will learn biological and chemical analyses using modern scientific methods, in the context of traditional ecological knowledge. All students will receive training in laboratory/field safety, ethics and the responsible conduct of research, Indigenous rights, intellectual property, and communicating their work to other scientists and the public.
Students will apply through the online application system at www.embrs-mn.com/training-international-programs/ and will be selected based on letters of recommendation, statement of intent/interest, prior academic performance, and an IP-based video conference or in-person interview. Students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the sciences are strongly encouraged to apply.
Success of the program will be assessed using the REU common assessment tool available online. Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by visiting www.embrs-mn.com/training-international-programs/, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Michael Ceballos at rceballo@morris.umn.edu)
