REU Site: Summer Program in Chihuahuan Desert Biodiversity

This REU Site award to the University of Texas at El Paso, located in El Paso, TX, will support the training of 9 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2024- 2026. It is anticipated that a total of 27 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from under-represented groups, will be trained in the program. This REU covers critical research topics in the field of ecology and evolution that influence biodiversity in the Chihuahuan Desert. Students will learn how biodiversity research is conducted, and all will present the results of their work at symposia. 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). The Chihuahuan Desert is recognized as one of the most biologically diverse arid environments in the world and is facing extreme effects of global change. Understanding the history of Chihuahuan Desert biodiversity, how it functions, and the changes it faces, are important for determining how biodiversity patterns in the Chihuahuan Desert will develop into the future. Research projects will examine critical issues impacting biodiversity including ecosystem and community ecology, evolutionary patterns and organismal behavior. Participants will conduct a short experiment as a cohort at the beginning of the program and then will examine one aspect of Chihuahuan Desert biodiversity for their independent projects with their chosen mentor. The intention is to provide the participants with an understanding of the multiple facets involved in structuring biodiversity in the Chihuahuan Desert. Many of the research projects are field-based including the Indio Mountains Research Station and the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range. All participants will visit both field sites to learn about the importance of long term datasets. Overall, students will learn how research investigating fundamental questions concerning desert biodiversity is designed, conducted, and disseminated. More information about the Chihuahuan Desert Biodiversity REU program is available by contacting the director (Dr. Seymoure). 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.