A Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Sites award has been made to the University of Montana that will provide research training for ten students, for nine weeks during the summers of 2012- 2014. This REU site, and its collaboration with the Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua in Mexico, is supported by the NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). Our REU program, the Introductory Multicultural Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (IM-SURE) Program is administered through the Division of Biological Sciences. IM-SURE is primarily intended for undergraduate students (including college-bound high school graduates) nationwide who are interested in environmental biology, but have had little or no research experience to date. Each student will conduct original hands-on research under the guidance of a faculty member and her/his research group. Major areas of research include microbial ecology, plant ecology, and ecological and evolutionary genetics. Students will be matched with a research mentor and project based on their interests, skills, and experience. Projects will be designed to help students develop their research skills and independence, as well as their knowledge of a specific area of environmental biology. REU researchers may be placed on the UM campus (or associated field sites), at UM?s Flathead Lake Biological Station, or, for select students with some prior experience, at our partner institution in Chihuahua, Mexico (along with a UM mentor). Students will gain experience in a variety of aspects of scientific research, such as formulating research questions and hypotheses; designing experiments; analyzing data; and communicating research results. Initial orientation, midsummer social activities, and capstone meetings of the entire group will offer opportunities for IM-SURE students to share their experience and develop a sense of scientific community. We seek to provide a collegial and supportive environment for all participants and measure our success and student satisfaction and accomplishments through the national REU Assessment Tool (URSSA) and our own brief surveys. Students are tracked to determine their continued interest in their academic field of study, their career paths, and the lasting influences of their research experience. IM-SURE participants are selected based on academic record, personal interest statement, research experience essay (although prior experience is not required), and two reference letters. We especially encourage applications from graduating high school seniors, Native American students and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). For more information, visit
