
NSF Org: |
DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | April 8, 2011 |
Latest Amendment Date: | December 23, 2013 |
Award Number: | 1061500 |
Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
Program Manager: |
Sally O'Connor
DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
Start Date: | April 15, 2011 |
End Date: | April 30, 2014 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $316,450.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $268,547.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2014 = $0.00 |
History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
300 TURNER ST NW BLACKSBURG VA US 24060-3359 (540)231-5281 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
300 TURNER ST NW BLACKSBURG VA US 24060-3359 |
Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): |
RSCH EXPER FOR UNDERGRAD SITES, International Research Collab, UNGRAD RES MENTORING IN BIO |
Primary Program Source: |
01001314DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001415DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
An award has been made to Virginia Tech that will provide research training for 8 weeks for 6 students, during the summers of 2011- 2015. The award, which is also supported by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering, supports the continuation of the international Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana that has taken place in the past 8 years. The program focuses on ecology, ethnobotany, biodiversity and conservation and environmental biology in the tropics. The students will work on defined research projects under the mentorship of Ghanaian scientists and faculty members. Students will be selected based on their academic record and motivation to attend graduate school. This program has two main research foci: i) bioprospecting for potentially useful plants and ii) ecological and biodiversity studies. Students will design experiments in collaboration with their mentors, collect and analyze their data, and present their results in Ghana. They will conduct full time research during the weekdays and attend seminars and group discussions during the evenings. Over the weekends, field trips will be made (such as to the Mole game reserve, the Kakum National forest, and the Kakum estuary) to provide the students with additional experience that will enhance their understanding of ecology and conservation. Upon their return to the US, students will make presentations at regional and national meetings. Participants will acquire skills in ethnobotany, tropical biology, aquaculture, ecology, entomology, taxonomy and analytical chemistry. They will be expected to publish their results in peer-reviewed journals. The ecological studies will yield new and valuable information on tropical species of insects and plants that may not have been described in the literature yet. Data gathered in the project will also contribute towards an inventory of potentially endangered species and conservation studies. Participants will have an invaluable cross-cultural experience. Students will be tracked through annual surveys and the program will be evaluated using various methods including the REU common assessment tool. More information is available at http://www.undergraduate.vt.edu/GhanaREU/ or by contacting the PI (Dr. Daniel Wubah at wubah@vt.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Judith Wubah at jawubah@vt.edu).
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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