REU Site: Ecology, Genetics, and Adaptation on the Colorado Plateau

This REU Site award to Northern Arizona University, located in Flagstaff, Arizona, will support the training of 9 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2021 - 2023. It is anticipated that a total of 27 students, primarily from community and tribal colleges, and with emphasis on Native American and Hispanic students, will be trained in the program.

Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. The research theme of the program is place-based and utilizes the unique ecology and cultural diversity of the Colorado Plateau and Four Corners region. A web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure, the SALG URSSA tool, will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program.

Students will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system.

Students will conduct research projects that are relevant to the local ecology and cultures (e.g., research questions involving climate change, fish populations, mate recognition among ecologically similar species). The primary goal of the program is to enhance the scientific and critical thinking skills of students and encourage continued studies in the sciences.

Each student will conduct all of the phases of scientific research, including scientific literature review, experimentation, data analysis and interpretation, and paper and poster presentations of their results. The program includes seminars on career options, developing research skills, responsible conduct in research, Native American and western science perspectives, and cohort-building activities.

Mentors have extensive experience mentoring undergraduates and in funded research. Students will be selected from the applicant pool by PIs Holeski and Martinez. More information about the program is available by visiting https://nau.edu/Merriam-Powell/Research-Experience, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Holeski at [email protected]) or the co-PI (Ted Martinez at [email protected]).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.