REU Site: Ecology in Human-Dominated Landscapes

About This Grant

This REU Site award to Miami University, located in Oxford, OH, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2025–2027. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students will participate, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities. Students will be equipped to generate creative and integrative approaches toward understanding global environmental issues through data-driven individual research projects. They will explore the ways in which human populations shape the land over time and the ways in which humans solve environmental problems such as pollution, loss of biodiversity, and soil degradation. Students will learn how research in ecology, evolution, and environmental science is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences and publish results in peer-reviewed scientific journals. A significant proportion of the students will pursue graduate training and/or have careers in ecology and environmental science, thus strengthening the scientific workforce. More information about the program is available by visiting https://sites.miamioh.edu/ecologyreu/. Students should apply to this REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application: https://etap.nsf.gov). This program creates collaborative clusters of student-mentor pairs addressing environmentally relevant research questions related to Coupled Human-Natural Systems, Spatial Pattern & Connectivity, and Species Interactions. Students will conduct individual research projects that integrate into a larger ecological theme and will consider the implications of human shaping of landscapes and the role of science in the creation of solutions to environmental challenges. Faculty mentors will be drawn from Miami’s departments of Biology, Geography, Geology & Environmental Earth Sciences, and Microbiology. Enrichment activities will focus on professional development and responsible conduct of research; and interactions with scientists from other institutions. Participants will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths. Example research projects can be viewed at the program website. In addition to training in scientific research, REU students will build on their knowledge of environmental ethics and how it can alter the land and its inhabitants. Such perspectives are critical for developing creative, integrative, and wise approaches in science, management, and policy. Through research, site visits, readings, and discussions, our participants will be prepared to tackle emerging global challenges. 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.