REU Site: Climate Change Science, Impacts, and Resilience

Rapid changes in the Earth's climate are having significant impacts in a number of different areas, including animal and plant life, oceans and rivers, human health, and the economy. This Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) site pairs undergraduate students interested in these problems with professional mentors for a focused, 10-week research experience program. The site particularly encourages participation for underrepresented students who traditionally do not have the opportunity to bring their research ideas into reality and work with leading scientists. Students choose from a set of research topics such as detecting climate change signals in data, investigating impacts on local and global marine species, running and interpreting forecast models, evaluating Arctic sea ice forecasts, and visualization and communicating climate change information. At the end of their research experience, students present their findings at a program symposium and then at a national undergraduate research conference the following year. The goal of the project is to provide students with the knowledge, tools, and a chance to network with climate professionals which will increase student understanding of the climate system and provide them with a solid foundation to continue their research well after the end of the program.

The accelerating pace of global climate change demands a new generation of scientists and communicators who not only understand the underlying science but can effectively translate it to decision makers. The research experience offered by this REU site will bring together the major climate organizations in the Asheville, NC area to offer an integrated climate-focused program. The program will strengthen existing relationships between the regional host institution (University of North Carolina Asheville) and these organizations, establish connections in the climate community for participating students, and provide unique opportunities for traditionally underrepresented students to participate in research in an area with profound societal implications. Through their research project, presentations, meetings, and social interactions, student participants will develop connections with other students, their mentors, faculty, and other professional scientists that will persist well beyond the end of the summer experience.

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.