The University of Minnesota has been granted an NSF award to support the continuation of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site for geosciences in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since 1998, the 10 week UMN summer intern program in the Dept. of Geology and Geophysics has focused on research concerning geological fluids from surface and near-surface systems to the mantle to the core. Fourteen undergraduate students from diverse background will be recruited nationally each year. The students will investigate topics with the common theme of fluids in the Earth. They will be involved in various research activities, including the impacts of human activities on groundwater quality, limnogeology research on lakes to understand regional environmental dynamics, evaluation of the chemical and mechanical effects of fluids in metamorphic and igneous systems, seismic detection of fluids and melts in Earth's mantle, the effect of melt on deformation of mantle rocks, and numerical hands-on experience with mantle convection and core dynamics using scientific visualization, and more. The program features many attributes that foster a cohort experience. In particular, interns participate in a weekly series of lectures given by participating faculty and in symposia in which they explain their projects and results to each other and to members of the department. The program evaluates the impact of this REU on interns' perception of the nature of science through weekly journals and case study responses. Longer term impact on their career paths will be assessed through exit and longitudinal questionnaires. In addition, they are exposed to disciplines outside their summer research and by participating in field trips to Midwestern sites (caves, glacial lake/river features, mid-continent rift lavas, deep underground observatories). An important goal of the internship program is to integrate the interns into the research environment of the Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, allowing interactions with faculty, post-docs, and graduate students in the various research groups of the department. The program also fosters a sense of community among the summer students as they interact with future Earth science colleagues and friends. Interns live in university housing with contiguous room assignments and shared cooking facilities and the program includes weekend activities such as picnics, boating on Lake Superior, and camping trips. Program activities emphasize the connections and commonality of research carried out in diverse research fields.

Project Report

The NSF grant made possible an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) site at the University of Minnesota during the summers of 2011, 2012, and 2013. In the three summers, we hosted 14, 12, and 16 students from around the country. Our internship program’s theme was "Fluids in the Earth from Surface to Core." Interns were selected from application pools of nearly 100 undergraduate students in geosciences and other allied fields. Interns were paired individually with faculty mentors and conducted research projects on a wide variety of geoscience topics from hydrological dye tracing in the southeastern Minnesota, incubation of sulfur reducing deep-sea bacteria, to physics experiments on grain boundary slip. As a cohort experience, they participated in three field trips: (1) karst geomorphology and caves in southeast Minnesota; (2) R/V Blue Heron cruise on Lake Superior; and (3) Precambrian geology in north central Minnesota. Trips 2 and 3 were combined with an overnight stay in Duluth at a local college dormitory. The interns also participated in weekly lunch seminars presented by departmental faculty, mid-program meetings, and final poster sessions. Our REU site was evaluated by an outside expert on science education, a professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota. Only the evaluator read the before and after surveys as well as weekly journal entries by the interns. His assessment reports for all three years indicate that our program offered excellent research experience. First, the program was run well logistically, as it has been running for nearly 15 years and with veteran front office staff, we had worked our most logistical kinks. On the main intellectual activities, our interns consistently noted a dramatic improvement and deepening of the knowledge in areas in which they conducted research. This allowed the interns to experience "mini graduate school." As our longitudinal tracking shows, most of our interns go on to graduate school in Earth Sciences for advanced degrees. The weekly journals revealed that many interns gained a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the nature of science. They learned that real science is not always smooth and does not proceed as planned. There are many twists and turns, as machines break down or experiments yield unexpected results. Understanding the serendipitous nature of science greatly enhanced their appreciation for and literacy in science. We believe that this internship program has made significant contribution to human development in geosciences by educating promising youths into budding scientists eager to go on to graduate school. At the same time, the elevated science literacy of our interns helps the larger society make well-informed decisions based on reason. In our third year, we have been able to admit and successfully recruit a greater number of underrepresented minority students than in previous years. This aspect of our program will contribute over the long run to bring a better representation and balance to the geoscience work force that is consistent with the larger demographic changes occurring in the greater society.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Earth Sciences (EAR)
Application #
1062775
Program Officer
Lina Patino
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2011-05-15
Budget End
2014-04-30
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$411,990
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55455