Research Undergraduate Experience,
Konza Prairie Research Natural Area
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Sponsoring Institution
Kansas State UniversityApplication Deadline
March 1, 2004Dates of Internship
May 31 - August 11, 2004Stipend
$3,000, Housing will be provided in a furnished apartment but participant must pay for food and travel to program. REU program will pay for travel to the conference as well as tuition and book expenses.Synopsis
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) participants arrive at KSU on May 31. Student REU activity will begin with an orientation to the Division of Biology, the campus, and Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KPRNA). Orientation to the Division will include a building tour and an introduction to research activities in the Division as well as a presentation on Long Term Research Sites (LTER) research foci. Campus orientation activities will include a tour of the library and an introduction to the campus computer system. Student introduction to KPRNA will include information on the rules for use of Konza by all investigators and a demonstration of basic techniques for combating wildfires.REU students will be expected to complete a research project during the term of their residence. Prospective REU students are encouraged to view the research abstracts of 1995-2001 REU students at http://www.ksu.edu/bsanderc/reu/reupast.htm to familiarize themselves with the nature and scope of research that is expected of an REU program participant. REU applicants are asked to list several areas of research interest from the list provided. Students selected for the REU program will be matched with a mentor prior to the student's arrival on campus. Within the first week of their residence, students will interact with their faculty mentor and complete the design of an appropriate research project.
Over the summer, students will be expected to collect the data necessary to the completion of their respective projects. During the last two weeks of their residence, students will analyze data and prepare for an oral presentation of their project to the REU staff, faculty mentors and graduate student associates.
REU students will receive one hour credit for participation in a regularly scheduled faculty seminar/student discussion group on grassland ecology. A variety of seminar topics from behavioral ecology to nutrient cycling will be presented by REU scientists. REU students will also be expected to participate in a one hour course in research ethics.
During their stay at Kansas State University, REU students will be housed in a campus apartment complex. Students will be provided accommodations in a furnished apartment but must provide their own food. The complex provides low-cost laundry facilities and the campus recreational facility is within walking distance. Enrollment in summer school will provide students with access to student health services, university computing facilities, library facilities, and all university-sponsored social and recreational programs.
To apply, please submit completed application, along with a copy of the student's transcript (which need not be official), two letters of recommendation from faculty at the students home institution, and a two-page essay addressing 1) the development of the student's interest in ecology, 2) the breadth of their interest in ecology, and 3) current professional career goals (which need not be in ecological research). Interested students may access application materials and other program information at the program web site at http://www.ksu.edu/bsanderc/reu/
Contact
Gail Wilson, REU Project Coordinator
Division of Biology
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-4901
Phone: 785-532-2892
Email: gwtw@ksu.edu
Return to Midwestern Internships Last modified 2 March 2004