REU Site: Sensory Ecology: An Integrative Approach

This REU Site award to the University of Cincinnati (UC), located in Cincinnati, OH, will support the training of 8 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2021-2023. It is anticipated that a total of 24 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, 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.

There is an increasing need of a workforce with high-level training in STEM which this site will help to meet through supporting students in their development of skills, content knowledge, and professional networks. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool to ensure that goals are met. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.

This REU site in Sensory Ecology focuses on research about how animals acquire and respond to information about their environment. The UC Department of Biological Sciences has a nationally recognized strength in Sensory Biology and Behavior, so students can expect cutting-edge research that integrates the experimental and mechanistic study of sensory processes with the conceptual approaches of psychology, neurobiology, ecology and behavior.

Research projects may center on topics such as genomics and development of sensory systems, neural mechanisms of sensory system function, mechanisms of animal movement/dispersal, evolution of sensory systems, and computational modeling of sensory system function and the impact of the environment. A structured program of multi-level mentoring in research and an educational program in professional development and responsible conduct of research will develop students’ conceptual and professional skills and prepare them to pursue their diverse career goals.

Students will also work in multidisciplinary teams with digital media and communications to produce digital content highlighting the importance of their scientific work to society. Dissemination of their research will occur via scientific presentation, educational digital media and/or publication. More information about the program, including application material, is available by visiting http://artsci.uc.edu/bio-reu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Stephanie Rollmann, [email protected], or the co-PI (Dr. John Layne, [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.