| NSF Org: |
DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | February 24, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | February 24, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1559943 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Sally O'Connor
DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
| Start Date: | March 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | February 29, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $346,320.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $346,320.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1 HARPST ST ARCATA CA US 95521-8222 (707)826-4189 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1 Harpst Street Arcata CA US 95521-9045 |
| 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 |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| 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
This REU Site award to Humboldt State University, located in Arcata, CA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks, during the summers of 2016- 2018. Students will design research projects on natural resource management in close collaboration with faculty mentors from the Departments of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Forestry as well as with collaborators from the Yurok, Hoopa, and Karuk Tribes. Students will also participate in workshops on Traditional Ecology Knowledge (TEK), responsible conduct of research, and how to get into graduate school. Access to unparalleled nearby ecosystems along with excellent facilities on campus and critical collaborations offer students opportunities to pursue research questions unique to the region, but with broad application, such as interactions between climate change and fire, forest alteration and wildlife habitat use, using environmental DNA in water samples to monitor elusive species, and the development of hydrological models to optimize water releases from dams for important fish species.
It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. The program is especially geared toward American Indian and Native Alaskan students. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. In collaboration with local tribal offices and tribal natural resource managers, this program puts scientific research in the context of tribal natural resource management. Students will not only learn vital lessons about the practical value of science, but will also learn that results from collaborative student research projects can provide essential data for natural resource managers that can influence land use decisions.
A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available at (http://www2.humboldt.edu/REU/) or by contacting the PI (Dr. Matt Johnson at matt.johnson@humboldt.edu).
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This program provided summer-long research internships at Humboldt State University for 27 American Indian and one Native Hawaiian student from eight different US universities. Each summer, students were introduced to the practice of Ecology and Environmental Science by participating in a series of research seminars and workshops aimed at building research skills as well as cultivating students' identities as both Indigenous people and scientists. Each student conducted an independent research project throughout the summer, culminating her or his experience by presenting the work orally and in writing in a symposium open to the public and attended by university and Tribal partners. Two thirds of the students were also able to present their findings as a poster or oral presentation at a professional scientific conference. Individual research projects pursued intellectual questions and varied considerably depending on students interest and their mentors' expertise, but all centered on natural resources and their relevance to Tribal peoples. Research questions were as varied as: pond turtle habitat selection on the Klamath River, pelagic cormorant nesting success and oceanic conditions in Northern California, using scat detection, vegetation and landscape characteristics, and habitat modeling to identify potential Roosevelt elk habitat on Yurok ancestral lands, using eDNA in water samples to determine the effectiveness of brook trout removal from high alpine lakes in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, and examinations of trout habitat selection both aquaculture and wild settings. Broader impacts included very strong benefits to student participants and considerable growth in the lead PI and project coordinator, both of whom continue to pursue projects involving mentoring American Indian students. Survey results revealed that participating students showed marked gains in research skills and mindset toward research, most plan to continue on the graduate school, and the vast majority gained awareness of their own identity as an Indigenous person and a scientist.
Last Modified: 07/14/2020
Modified by: Matthew D Johnson
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