GLIN==> Research Experience for Undergraduates and Teacher Training inUrbanized Stream Ecosystems

[Carol Stepien <c.stepien@csuohio.edu>]

Please distribute to potential participants:

RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES 
and 
CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY'S PRESIDENT'S INITIATIVE

URBANBANIZATION IMPACTS ON STREAM ECOSYSTEMS An integrated Training
Experience for Teachers and Undergraduate Researchers at CLEVELAND STATE
UNIVERSITY, CLEVELAND, OHIO

This 10-week summer program is designed to provide participants with
opportunities to investigate urbanization as a critical factor in the
current crisis of declining biodiversity.

REU participants will develop and conduct independent research projects
emphasizing interdisciplinary studies of biodiversity and ecological
function of the Cuyahoga River watershed. All students will test the
central concept that urbanization significantly alters the ecological
relationships, community structure, and genetic diversity of stream
organisms. Students will select among research topics that use different
methodologies and taxa, encompassing population ecology and/or genetic
structure of photosynthetic organisms, macroinvertebrates, and lower
vertebrates.

Pre- and in-service teachers will join with research teams consisting of
science faculty, graduate and undergraduate science students in on-going
studies of the ecological dynamics of the Cuyahoga River basin. Through
field research experiences, classroom sessions and seminar presentations,
the teachers will receive instruction in methods of ecosystem analysis,
and the scientific, social, cultural, and regulatory dimensions of urban
ecosystem study. The core of the program is collaborative,
interdisciplinary, hands-on field research on the ecological features of
the regional environment. Teachers' principal responsibility will be to
develop secondary school science curricula based upon the research
activity in which they were involved.

Participants in both programs will receive a stipend of $3000 and food
will be provided during activities at the field station. Participants
will also be supplied with field kits including data notebook,
topographic maps, and textbooks/field guides. Housing will be
available.

Review of applications will begin on March 15, 2003. Applicants will be
notified by April 15th, 2003.

For further details, please see our web site at
http://www.csuohio.edu/cestp/REU/reu.html,
or contact

B. Michael Walton, Ph.D. 
Cleveland State University 
b.walton@csuohio.edu 
216-687-3979