REU Site: Gulf Coastal Plain Ecology

This REU Site award to the University of Southern Mississippi, located in Hattiesburg, MS, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during each summer from 2025–2027. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students will be trained in the program, primarily biology, and also geography, geology, or environmental science majors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other institutions without extensive opportunities for ecological research. The program is focused on the ecology of the Gulf Coastal Plain, a biologically rich and ecologically important area of the country. The goals of the REU program are to build student interest and preparation for ecological research, develop scientific skills using a diversity of field- and lab-based techniques, and facilitate hypothesis driven research relevant to the students’ experiences. Students will learn how research is conducted, expand their professional network, and learn the importance of communicating science to a broader audience. Many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of this program will be done through an online tool. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application). REU students will work with faculty in the School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi on ecological projects related to the Gulf Coastal Plain. Projects will include studies of a diversity of organisms, including algae, plants, fungi, and animals, both extant and fossilized. Research questions focus on speciation, conservation, invasive species, and land management impacts on nutrient dynamics and physiology. Students will participate in planning and conducting ecological research and will learn a variety of field, lab, and analytical techniques. Other activities will include sessions on the ethical and professional practice of science, and science communication in written, oral, and poster form. Students will interact with peers, graduate students, and faculty in a series of workshops, lab exchanges, and career-oriented field trips to regional research institutions. Students will be selected based on motivation, academic capacity, and the potential impact of the program on their career goals. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate of Biological Sciences, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). 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.