The Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Research, facilitating student involvement in environmental research and education at University of Nevada, Reno, and the Great Basin Institute, an environmental research, education and conservation organization, invite applications for the summer 2016 REU program. Students will explore the intersections of socioeconomic and natural sciences in relation to drought resiliency in the Tahoe, Sierra Nevada and Great Basin Regions, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Overview of Program: REU research teams will work in the Eastern Sierra Region of Nevada, specifically within the Lake Tahoe Basin and the surrounding northwestern Great Basin high desert. The program will encompass a wide range of interdisciplinary research, examining the various approaches to assessing, modeling, and managing water resources in the context of global climate change and diminishing snowpack. Participants will gain exposure to diverse scientific inquiries and technologies in order to glean how the socioeconomic and natural sciences inform land use policy and adaptive management of economic and natural resources. The program will take place during the ten consecutive weeks of 6 June through 12 August 2016. Students in the program will be provided a stipend of $4750, plus housing. The application deadline is Friday, March 18th, 2016.
Research Topics Include:
· Rephotography: Changing Landscapes in the Tahoe Basin
· Hydrology: Predicting Changes From Snow to Rain in the Eastern Sierra Nevada
· Sage Grouse: Habitat Restoration in the Sierra Nevada
· Agricultural Drought Management and Decision-Making
· Modeling reservoir operations to mitigate for climate impacts on fisheries
· Ecohydrological Effects of Pinyon and Juniper Removal
· Ecological Investigations of Tree Limits in Nevada Mountain Ranges
Eligibility: Qualified undergraduates, who will have junior or senior status and will be a full-time student in the Fall 2016 term, with a combination of coursework in the following disciplines are invited to apply: environmental studies, natural resources, biology, ecology, hydrology, resource economics, photography, and statistics. We especially encourage applications from students at primarily undergraduate and non-research institutions and from underrepresented groups. Participants must be citizens or permanent legal residents of the USA. Review of applications will begin on 18 March 2016. Applications received after this date will be considered on a space-available basis.
Contact: For further information, email the Program Coordinator, Amanda Van Dellen at UNR.REU@gmail.com or visit our website at http://environment.unr.edu/