This REU Site at the University of Central Oklahoma is also supported by NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE). The REU program is designed to engage undergraduate students in behavioral and ecological research using honeybees and solitary bees as model systems. The research is basic in nature, but also has relevance to agricultural problems related to both crop pollination and pollinator disease demographics. The program involves scientists from the United States, Turkey and Bulgaria. Six undergraduate participants will be living in western Turkey and its border region with Bulgaria and Greece for seven of the eight weeks of the program while doing research with an international team of scientists. In addition to research, students will be involved in a 1-week course that considers the history and nature of science as well as aspects of experimental design; they will also be exposed to peer review process, trained in critical reading of scientific articles, and mentored in proper preparation for graduate school and research careers. An overall goal of the program is also to help build a generation of scientists who are connected to the developing world. Doing so is important because the majority of the world's scientists, the world's people, and the world's species diversity reside there. Indeed, many planetary problems (invasive species, disease, etc.) originate from and/or negatively impact regions outside of the United States and Western Europe, requiring multinational/multicultural scientific collaboration, a central component of this project. Participants will receive stipends as well as support for travel and living expenses. More information is available at http://cms.ucok.edu/REU, or by contacting Dr. Barthell at jbarthell@ucok.edu or 405-974-2481.
