There are three primary scientific and educational objectives associated with the River Basins Research Initiative (RBRI) REU site: 1) to introduce and immerse each REU participant into a valid research endeavor that will culminate in developing new scientific knowledge, 2) to foster the progression of each participant from a dependent assistant to an independent scientific colleague, and 3) for each participant to disseminate the results of their original research in the form of presentations at regional and national scientific meetings and, when possible, as published journal articles. Participants will spend ten weeks at Furman University during the summer in an intensive interdisciplinary research effort. Briefly, the first week will be spent in classroom instruction and laboratory/field training. The second week will be spent on project design and the introduction to the field areas. The next six weeks will focus on data collection and analysis, literature review and compilation of results. The final two weeks will be devoted to the interpretation of results and initial preparation of materials for presentations at professional disciplinary meetings. The considerable field equipment, instrumentation, and facilities of the Biology, Chemistry, and Earth and Environmental Sciences departments will be made fully available for student use during the REU period. Six faculty members will commit to working full time on RBRI projects during the 10-week period, and three additional faculty members have committed to working part time.
