Mentoring 21st Century Scientists in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences: A National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Site at Alabama A&M University.

Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University (AAMU) has been at the forefront of efforts to train minority students to assume leadership roles in environmental and natural resource disciplines.   To strengthen AAMU’s role in training minorities in natural resource and environmental sciences, with the support from the National Science Foundation, we have established a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site at AAMU.  Our goals are to provide opportunities for minorities to participate in environmental and natural resource science-related education, research, and professional careers; expose students to environmental research through activities such as training in research methods, field and lab data collection, and seminars; mentor future researchers through hands-on, cutting edge and independent research projects; improve written and verbal communication skills though scientific writing workshops and interactions with peers and scientists; foster self-confidence, develop teamwork, and critical thinking and analysis skills through discussions, exposure to research design, research implementation, data collection, data analysis, hypothesis testing, manuscript preparation, and presentation; and aid in professional development through ethics training.  We identified mentors from research areas including plant ecology, wildlife ecology and biology, soil and hydrology science, molecular biology, and human dimensions.  For the 2008 and 2009 programs, over a hundred students from 44 institutions across the nation applied. We selected 9 (2008) and 15 (2009) undergraduate students. A majority are minorities or from institutions with limited research opportunities.  A supplemental grant from NSF allowed us to included two minority high school students each year.  Each REU student completed a research project and presented a seminar.  Some students will present their research at national professional conferences.  It is our hope that with the continuation of research and educational outreach of the AAMU REU program, more minority students will be aware of career opportunities in natural resource and environmental science disciplines and become attracted to these professions.