9732519 This REU Site will provide an exciting and engaging introduction to research for 10 undergraduates each summer. These experiences will take place at the University of Colorado's Mountain Research Station and will focus on the behavior, ecology, and evolution of subalpine and alpine organisms. The program, which has been shaped through experiences gained in previous REU Site grants, has three components. The first is a week-long intensive introduction to research, built around a series of field problems that are conducted with increasing levels of independence. The second is a summer-long course that deals with the practicalities of research and of going to graduate school. This course operates in parallel with 9-week student projects done in association with faculty mentors. The summer culminates in project presentations that are given in a scientific-meeting format. Evaluations of prior REU grants show that this program has been successful in encouraging students to go to graduate school and in generating a summer experience that has a profound effect on the development of the participants' scientific careers.
