Deadline: Mon, 03/20/2023 - 12:00pm Employer: The National Great Rivers Research & Education Center Lewis & Clark Community College Job Field: Fisheries Water and Soil Resources Wildlife Job Type: Seasonal, Temporary, Internship Location: Illinois Location Detail: East Alton Job Description: Program Theme Wetlands are among the most unique and functionally important ecosystems on Earth. Wetlands not only provide critical ecological services (e.g. filtering runoff, attenuating floodwaters, recharging groundwater supplies, removing pollution and providing fish and wildlife habitat) but are key drivers of local economies due to their importance for agriculture, recreation and transportation. In the modern world, wetlands are often heavily influenced by a diverse suite of natural and anthropogenic processes acting across the landscape at a variety of spatiotemporal scales, including land use change, pollution, invasive species and climate change. The increased demand for land and water as well as a rapidly changing climate has resulted in an accelerated rate of loss and degradation of wetlands across the globe. There is now a critical need for research on wetlands to ensure the long-term ecological and economic health of our watersheds and to assess current restoration and management practices. There have also been advances in the capability and accessibility of emerging technologies scientists use to study the natural world and of quantitative frameworks that explain and predict the structure and function of the biosphere. Recent technological developments include automated tracking, remote sensors and eDNA. Conceptual advances include a renewed focus on the flux of matter, energy, and information within and across ecosystems, and efforts to unify ecology across time, space, and levels of biological organization. The time is right for combining these two issues to create a modern science of wetlands that is multidisciplinary, integrates new technologies and approaches, and addresses global issues of concern, such as pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. Wetland science is a unique discipline that blends chemistry, hydrology, ecology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. Accordingly, research as part of this REU program will be multi-disciplinary in its approach to the student experience. Ultimately, understanding wetlands in the modern world will require a unique and unified approach that applies emerging technologies with questions at the forefront of the physical and biological sciences. NGRREC’s REU program, “Wetland Science in a Modern World,” focuses on a modern integrative approach to studying wetlands using recent technological and theoretical developments with a goal of unifying wetland science across scales. Program and Activities Students will spend 10-weeks in the program, during which they will work closely with their assigned mentor(s) on a variety of lab and field-based research projects. An overall goal of this program is to provide students with hands-on experiences in multiple scientific disciplines. During the first week, students will be introduced to the REU program, NGRREC and wetland science in a modern world. Weekly activities include lectures focusing on current theory and practices of wetland science, as well as professional development workshops in scientific communication, manuscript preparation, career panel, research poster development and discussion of environmental racism and diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusivity in STEM. Throughout the program, students will have the opportunity to attend events to foster relationships between students and members of the NGRREC community including BBQ's and a variety of activities (e.g. canoe trip on the Mississippi River, Cardinals baseball game, etc.). Inters will also visit local field sites to experience different aquatic, floodplain and upland habitats of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The REU program will culminate on the last day with a research symposium where students will present their work to local, regional and visiting scientists, students and other interested participants. Mentors Students will be matched with one or two NGRREC scientists who will provide guidance and support on a research project throughout the 10-week program. Students are matched with mentors based on a list of specific research topics that they select during their application process. Our program's goal is to provide students with hands-on experience in multiple scientific disciplines. Note: the program director will attempt to accommodate these rankings but cannot promise each student will get their top ranked selection. This year's REU mentors are detailed here. This year's list of specific research topics include: Agriculture Forest Ecology Remote Sensing Aquatic Ecology Herpetology Restoration Ecology Behavioral Ecology Macroinvertebrates Salt Pollution Birds Movement Ecology Soils Citizen Science Nutrient Dynamics Terrestrial Ecology Community Ecology Physiology Urban Ecology Conservation Biology Plant Biology Water Quality Fish Biology Plastic Pollution Wildlife Ecology Qualifications: Eligibility Participants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its territories. Participants must have a GPA over 3.0. Only undergraduate students are eligible. An undergraduate student is a student who is enrolled in a degree program (either part-time or full-time) leading to a bachelor's degree. Students who graduated from their institution prior to the summer program are not eligible to apply. Students who are transferring from one institution to another and are enrolled in neither institutions during the intervening summer, may participate. High school graduates who have not yet enrolled and students who have received their bachelor's degree and are no longer enrolled as an undergraduate student are not eligible. Members of underrepresented or underserved minority groups; students with disabilities; first-generation college students; students with limited opportunities for research experiences, and others who would contribute to diversity in other ways are encouraged to apply. If selected, students must work full-time in our program and participate in all activities during the duration of the 10-week program, including some weekends. Selection to the program is based on academic standing and matching of each students’ background and interests with the program. Salary: Students will receive a summer stipend ($6,750), a travel allowance (up to $500), accommodation, travel to/from housing to the field station each day, and $1,000 budget for their research. How to Apply: Please visit National Great Rivers Research and Education Center :: REU (ngrrec.org)
