This three-year project will encourage and support undergraduate research in conservation biology. Students will be awarded conservation internships--partnerships between the University of Arizona and community conservation organizations--focusing on scientific and educational issues judged to be critical to understanding and preserving the Sonoran Desert region's biotic richness. Two mentors will guide each student intern, one from the University of Arizona, the other from the community organization. Grant funds will support student stipends and modest research expenses. Students will report the results of their internships at a University of Arizona/Community Symposium on Conservation Biology and at campus forums for student research. This project will provide students with valuable educational and practical experience, conservation organizations with valuable expertise and energy, and both the University of Arizona and community mentors with the basis for ongoing collaborations. Forging partnerships between these two groups also generates an ideal training and testing ground for a new generation of conservation biologists-scientists who can bridge the gap between pure and applied research.
