Undergraduates Gain Research Experience with University of Arkansas Faculty
Twelve undergraduate students will gain a fun and valuable experience as they plan and conduct research projects throughout the summer at the University of Arkansas. Students come from both the U of A and from other colleges and universities.
Dr. Michelle Evans-White, associate professor in Biological Sciences, is directing the Research Experience for Undergraduates program focused on the Assessment and Sustainability of Ecosystem Services (EcoREU). “Over 110 students have participated in the EcoREU since 2008,” Evans-White says. “Over 70 percent of those have been from underrepresented groups, and many have returned to the U of A for graduate school.” Dr. Brian Haggard and Dr. Marty Matlock, faculty in Biological and Agricultural Engineering, are co-directing the program.
“REUs are a great way for students to get research experience, and maybe even make contacts for graduate school opportunities; in fact, two of my graduate students were former REU students of mine,” says Haggard. Students can view this as a truly valuable opportunity to get on the inside track with research.
Students in the EcoREU get to work on projects that include water treatment processes, growing algae for biofuel, studying fish in Ozark streams, addressing important issues in agricultural production, and more. (See a complete list of faculty mentors and topics here.)
Students will be paired with a faculty mentor who, over the course of 10 weeks, will help guide them through all phases of scientific discovery, from developing a solid research question to conducting the research to reporting the results. The summer research experience culminates at the annual conference of the Arkansas Water Resources Center as students present their findings to water resources professionals and fellow students.
The EcoREU program is unique because “ecosystem services” can apply to a wide variety of systems, such as food, energy, and water that humans rely on. This leads to a diverse group of faculty who participate as mentors in the program.
This summer’s faculty mentors are Drs. Wen Zhang, Cammy Willett, Kusum Naithani, Dan Magoulick, Kent Kovacs, Qiuqiong Huang, Jamie Hestekin, Brian Haggard, Lauren Greenlee, and Julian Fairey. These mentors hail from many different departments on campus including Civil Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Biological Sciences; Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness; and Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences.
“One of my favorite activities as a professor is mentoring undergraduate students who are excited to do research,” says Dr. Cammy Willett. “REU students are extremely valuable to our research team.”
The EcoREU program is one of five REU programs at the University of Arkansas this summer. For more information about the EcoREU, visit the program website at ecoreu.uark.edu.
