REU Site: GeoAI-driven Computational Sustainability in the Human-Environment Nexus

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). It has both scientific and societal benefits in addition to integrating research and education. Environmental changes, an increasing global population, and global trends in population shifts to large cities make sustainability an important aspect in designing future cities. This REU Site will address this challenge by training nine students for ten weeks in the interdisciplinary field of computational sustainability. Research projects will produce methods and data required by decision-makers to design healthier, equitable, and sustainable cities. In addition, 27 students who will be trained in the program who are coming from universities with limited research opportunities or from underrepresented groups in STEM will be immersed in geographic information systems, computer science, mixed-method research, and community engagement. The research products of the REU will be made available both in academic formats such as conference presentations and journal papers and be also disseminated for public benefit digitally. The REU program that is housed in SLU’s Earth, Environment, and Geospatial Science department will address local sustainability and climate resilience planning needs in Saint Louis, MO. Research projects will develop community-in-the-loop approaches to urban design problems such as the design of greenspaces to mitigate heat islands, designing public transportation to minimize air pollution, and recycling interventions to minimize plastic waste in communities. Students will be mentored by a broad group of faculty mentors and community partners whose expertise ranges from biology, computer science, geospatial science, hydrology, meteorology, and remote sensing. The REU will give students first-hand experience in academic research into computational sustainability and its implementation with community partners. In addition to research activities, REU will host professional development activities for students which will culminate with a final symposium that will be widely attended by academic, private, non-profit, and local government stakeholders. 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.