Environmental Research Experiences for Students from Groups Underrepresented in Science and Engineering  
 

Deadline date:  February 25, 2009

General Information
Program Goals
Financial Support
Application Procedures
Research Projects
 

General Information about the NSF REU Site

This REU Site, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides a challenging nine-week summer experience conducting research in Water Resources at the University of Idaho (UI). Many faculty members from several water disciplines, all of them members of the multidisciplinary, degree-granting Environmental Science Program at UI, mentor students. REU students choose among many research projects such as forest canopy transpiration, ecohydrology of managed forest ecosystems, water resources sustainability, effects of shoreline development on large deep lakes, and watershed restoration, to name a few. Students are fully integrated into the productive research groups of their mentors, which are primarily funded by federal and state agencies.

At the same time, students develop collegial relationships as an REU group by participating in scholarly and recreational activities, such as weekly research forums, lunches with professional and academic role models, evening dinner seminars, workshops on environmental ethics, a team building exercise (raft trip led by the UI Outdoor Program), and project-oriented field trips led by faculty mentors. A combination of the research specialty and the avocations/experiences of the mentors will help provide right brain/left brain stimulation, thus strengthening science and engineering with real-world experiences.

Program Goals

Our primary goals are to provide undergraduate students with meaningful, satisfying  research experiences that: improve students' skills in applying the scientific method to hands-on research and train each student in modern research techniques; lead students to greater independence in pursuing their research interests, particularly those currently enrolled in non-PhD-granting institutions; and contribute to an increased number of women, Native American and Hispanic students (and other students from other groups underrepresented in science and engineering) who enter and complete graduate programs in science and engineering.

Financial Support

REU participants receive a stipend of $4,050 for nine weeks of research, as well as a food allowance of $600, housing, and reimbursement for travel expenses up to $300.

Application Procedures

This program emphasizes recruiting of undergraduates who are underrepresented in the sciences and engineering, yet all qualified undergraduate citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions are eligible. Upcoming juniors and seniors are considered from a variety of science and engineering disciplines, including biology, ecology, natural resources, civil engineering, soil science, geology, and other environmental science and engineering programs related to water resources.

Students that participate in this REU site in 2009 should plan to arrive June 8, 2009 and depart on August 7, 2009.

A complete application to this REU program consists of the following five items:

1. A copy of all undergraduate transcripts – unofficial transcripts are acceptable for the application; we will request official transcripts upon acceptance

2. A brief statement of educational goals, and research interests and experiences (2 page maximum)

3. A complete Application for Non-degree and REU Admission

4. Two confidential letters of recommendation from faculty members at the home-institution

5. A ranked list of your research project preferences (see below - include only and all of those you would accept)

Please take a moment to notify us (envs@uidaho.edu or 208/885-6113) of your intent to apply.  Application deadline is February 25, 2009. Send material to the Environmental Science Program REU, University of Idaho, PO Box 443006, Moscow, ID 83844-3006.  Students will be notified of acceptance starting in April.

REU student selection will be based upon: demonstrated potential to succeed in graduate school as evidenced by undergraduate transcripts, the applicant's research interests and educational goals, the compatibility of a student's interests with participating faculty expertise and potential contribution to program goals.  Additionally, one letter of recommendation should be from a faculty member who is willing to mentor the REU student in completing or presenting research results when he/she returns to the host school.  Successful applicants will have a minimum GPA of 3.0, but this guideline can be waived if a UI faculty mentor has reason to believe that the summer experience can reasonably boost the student’s potential to succeed in graduate school.

This program is for entering juniors and seniors; fundamental knowledge gained in previous undergraduate courses will be essential to the success of the research experience. Because of the variety of topics included in this Site, each faculty mentor will decide if an applicant is adequately prepared for the summer experience.  Certain projects may require: the ability to hike in rough terrain, camping, a valid driver's license, modeling expertise, chemistry background, etc.  Please feel free to request further details about special requirements.

Undergraduate student participants supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An undergraduate student is a student who is enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associates degree. Students who are transferring from one institution to another and are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer may participate.

Research Projects - 2009

Sustainable Water Resources is the unifying theme, with teams of students working with researchers doing experimental or analytical work encompassing five watersheds. The watersheds are the Priest River Watershed Experimental Forest (PRWEF) in north Idaho, the Mica Creek Experimental Watershed (MCEW), located about an hour north of the UI; the Paradise Creek Research and Education Watershed (PCRED), which is adjacent to the UI campus; the Benewah Creek watershed in northern Idaho, and the Clear Creek watershed in central Idaho. These watersheds represent a gradient from high to low human impacts.   We encourage you to contact faculty for more information - contact information and web sites are located here.  General questions regarding this REU site should be directed to jgram@uidaho.edu. 

For complete project descriptions, please click here.

1. A Program in Hydrology and Water Quality to Support and Evaluate Watershed Restoration, Dr. Erin Brooks, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
    

2. Microbial Activities Effecting Selenium Mobility in Black Shales, Dr. Susan Childers, Department of Geological Sciences.
    

3. Salmon contributions to nutrient cycling in forested riparian ecosystems; linking water resources to riparian vegetation, Dr. Kathleen Kavanagh, Department of Forest Resources.
    

4. Sustainable Stream Temperature Thresholds in Managed Forest Ecosystems, Dr. Timothy Link, Department of  Forest Resources.
    

5. Evaluator of public attitudes towards water resources, Dr. Robert Mahler, Department of Plant Soils and Entomological Sciences.
    

6. Identifying water sources used by trees: the stable-isotope fingerprint in tree rings, Dr. John Marshall, Department of Forest Resources.
    

7. Restoration repeat spawning opportunities in steelhead populations in the Snake River of Idaho, Dr. Christine Moffitt, Department of Fish and Wildlife.
    

8. Heavy Metal Contamination in Soils and Sediments of the Coeur d’Alene Basin in northern Idaho, Dr. Matthew Morra and Dr. Daniel Strawn, Department of Plant Soils and Entomological Sciences.  Note:  Two students will be selected for this project.
    

9. Examination of long distance circulation on the mitigation of harmful algal blooms in a reservoir in Oregon, Dr. Frank Wilhelm, Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Funding for this project provided by the National Science Foundation.

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