An award has been made to Plymouth State University, in cooperation with the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, to provide undergraduate research training to 8 students over a 10-week summer period for the summers of 2013-2015. This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program provides students interested in ecology and environmental science a rigorous research experience at the internationally recognized Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The program emphasizes the societal relevance of research on ecology and the changing environment through research overseen by teams of scientist-mentors and science communication activities overseen by outreach mentors. Students choose from projects distributed among four research themes (animal ecology, biogeochemistry, hydrology and soils, and forest vegetation and carbon cycling) that are representative of, and integrated within, the ecosystem science of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). Each student also participates in a weekly science communication workshop that emphasizes the interface between ecological research and the broader society through the use of case studies in citizen science, outreach and science ethics; interactions with professionals working with non-profits, management agencies, and educational institutions; and writing and speaking activities designed to emphasize the skills necessary for communicating to broad audiences. This program places training in science communication alongside a core of mentor-guided independent research. The 10-week program culminates with presentations at a site-wide annual undergraduate research conference. The REU on-line evaluation tool will be used to evaluate student learning gains in scientific inquiry and research execution, personal growth and in communicating science to the public. The program is open to undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, juniors or first semester seniors who are US citizens or permanent residents and will actively recruit a diverse group of students from cultural and ethnic groups that are traditionally underrepresented in scientific careers. REU program participants receive a stipend, travel and research allowances, and housing for the duration of the program. These students will live cooperatively among a dynamic mix of undergraduates, graduate students, and other young researchers active in summer research at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. More information is available at www.hubbardbrookreu.org, or by contacting program coordinator Geoff Wilson (gwilson@hbresearchfoundation.org) or project PI Michele Pruyn (mlpruyn@plymouth.edu).
