Untitled DocumentUndergraduate Research Experiences
Macro Theme Area:
Education [Project ID: E06]
PI:
Jim Washburne
CO-PI(s):
N/A
Basin focus:
Regional SW
Specific area in
basin /
field sites:
N/A
Summary/Goals: The original purpose of this effort was to provide for career pathway support and encouragement to undergraduates associated with our Centers. This was accomplished through approximately 15 annual REU's being awarded through a competitive application process. These objects are currently shifting towards providing more career exploration opportunities for undergraduates from around the country, as is detailed below.
Historically, a second group of undergraduate internships were funded whose objectives were more the development and support of innovative, non-science student but water-related projects.
Activities and outcomes during past year:
Approximately 30 undergraduates have benefited from REU summer and semester opportunities over the last few years. Both researchers and students have found the internal nature of the REU's to be an effective mechanism to develop a deeper understanding and commitment to study hydrology, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Approximately 15 students have benefited from the undergraduate internship program. Two of these have developed into longer-term support of innovative and nicely alligned efforts to develop community water harvesting and water conservation projects in the Nogalas, Mexico area (collaboration with BARA) and to support an undergraduate editor of the San Pedro News and Comment news clipping and newsletter (collaboration with the Udall Center).
Plans for the upcoming year:
While this effort was initially able to support about 15 undergraduates a year through supplemental funding, this source of funds has now been exhausted so our plan is evolving towards each research group supporting their own local undergraduates while the core office works on recruiting and matching 3-5 undergraduates from a national solicitation with other STC's.
Although we could use additional funds to support REU's, no proposals are in the pipeline at this time (12/07).
Organization Involvement:
The Udall Center collaborates with SAHRA in several different ways. Here, they find bi-lingual undergraduates to clip water-related news stories from US and Mexican news sources in and around the San Pedro Basin.
Shared Resources / Joint Activities:
We are working to integrate this effort into the SAHRA global news watch system.
Organization Involvement:
In the past, CENS has supported a STC-wide REU application database. Their involvement this year has been reduced to joint recruiting efforts due to budget cuts.
