IRES Track 1: International Collaborative Experiences to Track Arctic LaKe Systems (ICE TALKS)

Numerous observations, taken across varied time scales, indicate climate and environmental change are accelerating in the high latitudes resulting in permafrost thaw. Documenting and quantifying these changes, particularly in lake environments that form and evolve during the thaw process, are essential for enhancing understanding and predictions of the impact of climate change on a variety of processes ranging from microbial community development, nutrient mobilization, release of trace gases and dissolved compounds to the atmosphere and water systems.

The IRES Site International Collaborative Experiences to Track Arctic Lake Systems (ICE TALKS) program supports U.S. graduate and undergraduate students to carry out field- and lab- based projects to quantify these changes under the mentorship of scientists from Stockholm University and its Bolin Centre for Climate Change. The overarching goal of the projects enabled by the ICE TALKS program is to develop consistent sets of observations of the physical/geological, chemical and biological responses of high latitude systems under thawing conditions for the Earth and environmental science community.

Assemblage of such observations across a variety of thaw stages is foundational for building the next generation of predictive models to infer how these vulnerable ecosystems will respond to future climate change.

Our specific program objectives are to enable ICE TALKS fellows to: (1) Conduct co-mentored research with international faculty and UNH faculty which fosters the development of research independence; (2) Gain experience leading a collaborative yet individualized research project; (3) Build research skills critical for understanding systems changing rapidly in response to climate forcing, and (4) Hone professional skills to support the continued development of fellows s as scientists focused on communication and mentoring. The ICE TALKS Fellows program will provide both research and professional development for 9 undergraduate and 12 graduate students (21 students in total over the 3-year project) in a co-mentored international research experience.

Graduate students will be recruited from several UNH-based M.S. and Ph.D. programs and through courses taught by the PIs, with a priority on recruiting those UNH-based graduate fellows who plan to continue their ICE TALKS research beyond the mentored field season. Undergraduate students will be recruited through partnerships between the PIs and colleagues at Minority-Serving-Institutes (MSIs).

Participating undergraduates will receive post-trip academic year follow-up support to prepare for and participate in UNH’s undergraduate research conference the subsequent project year to share their research findings. Undergraduates will be placed into teams with graduate students in the field, as graduate students will be trained to be both mentors and mentees.

The ICE TALKS program is designed both to develop research skills in field and laboratory settings and to develop the students’ abilities to work collaboratively and communicate effectively. The proposed research activities will strengthen research partnerships between the UNH and our MSI partners.

This project is jointly funded by the International Research Experience for Students program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

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.