NSF funding will establish an Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) program in the Department of Biological Sciences at Kent State University. The central goal of this program is to educate/train undergraduates for research careers using a synergistic approach that incorporates diverse, interdisciplinary perspectives into ecological investigations of aquatic habitats. The program will foster interactions among faculty from different disciplines (both within and outside of biology) and students; it will also illustrate the role that interdisciplinary collaboration can play in understanding complex environmental issues facing the world today. Program goals will be accomplished by creating a mentorship team composed of an undergraduate student, a faculty member in aquatic ecology, and a faculty member from an outside discipline (such as cell biology, physiology, geography, geology, etc.). The faculty members will co-mentor the student, working together to design and implement a research project that is truly inter-disciplinary. The benefits and practical aspects of interdisciplinary, team-based research will be communicated using multiple approaches. During spring semester (the beginning of the program), students will take a course providing a guide to the practical and theoretical aspects of science as an integrative process. This first semester will also allow students to get to know the research areas/approaches of their faculty mentors. During summer semester, students have multiple objectives: 1) to learn the benefits of collaboration, 2) to conduct research projects designed with their mentors, and 3) to explore other research areas by assisting in data collection for other students' projects. During fall semester, students will take part in a seminar that provides tools needed for scientific writing, data analysis and statistics, and presentation of findings. The program will culminate with the presentation of each student's research projects to the university community. Beyond the university community, this program has relevance to the general public, particularly with respect to freshwater resources. Lakes, streams, and wetlands are vital natural resources and interdisciplinary training will prove to be an asset for addressing environmental problems. For example, research regarding wetland conservation, effects of invasive species, and the presence of microorganisms (e.g., E. coli) in lakes/rivers that serve as sources of drinking water will benefit from the diversity of perspectives provided by interdisciplinary collaboration
