Call for Research Mentors: 2019 NSF-LSAMP REU Programs at La Selva and Las Cruces Research Stations
The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) is seeking mentors for the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, at La Selva and Las Cruces Biological Stations in Costa Rica. In summer 2019, two eight-week REU programs will be conducted simultaneously, one at La Selva (with field trips focusing on environmental issues) and one at Las Cruces (with field trips focusing on culture and global health). The programs will include 32 undergraduate participants from NSF-LSAMP institutions (16 students each at La Selva and Las Cruces). Each site will have a coordinator, a TA and a group of mentors. The OTS NSF-LSAMP REU program objective is to provide a quality research experience for skilled and enthusiastic undergraduates representing a range of ethnic backgrounds. Program goals for undergraduates include: - Encouraging interest in field research and tropical ecology. - Establishing a clear understanding of the scientific method. - Introducing students to tropical ecosystems, as well as environmental and cultural issues. - Facilitating environments that foster communication skills needed for success in the sciences. - Increasing awareness of ethical and cultural issues to consider in research. - Improving understanding of career opportunities in biology and environmental science. - Facilitating exposure to an international network of researchers and the local public to develop a sense of global awareness as scientists. - Encouraging continued participation of underrepresented minority students in STEM fields. Both programs are open to U.S. students in STEM fields who are underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders) and are enrolled at NSF-LSAMP affiliated institutions. Selected students will be in residence at La Selva or Las Cruces Research Stations for eight weeks (June 4-July 31, 2019 at Las Cruces/June 11-August 7, 2019 at La Selva). Each student will have a home mentor - a trusted advisor from the student's home institution who is selected by the student - as well as a research mentor selected by OTS. A workshop, held at the La Selva and Las Cruces stations, for home mentors and research mentors will be conducted during the days prior to student arrival at their respective sites. Each research mentor will be responsible for supervising two REUs' independent research projects at either La Selva or Las Cruces. Research mentors' station fees will be covered for a maximum of seven weeks while the program is in session as well as a few days before the students arrive to allow mentors to participate in a workshop with home mentors. Mentors do not receive honoraria, but NSF funds will cover flights to and from Costa Rica, seven weeks of station fees, and the mentor workshop. The program covers REU students' expenses, a stipend, and a small budget for lab or field equipment. Ideal mentor applications will demonstrate the following: - Previous research experience at La Selva and/or Las Cruces Biological Station in Costa Rica. - Experience mentoring undergraduates and working with students in the field. - Presentation of a potential project design that can be completed in six weeks and tests a novel and solid hypothesis. - Potential to be a strong science role model with the ability to guide students in initiating a lifelong career in STEM fields. - Desire to contribute to a well-rounded program that includes not only independent student research under the guidance of an experienced mentor but also statistics, communication skills, field safety, ethics training, and/or other workshops. - Strong record of publication and/or grant-writing. Interested mentors should send one PDF that includes a letter of interest and a short summary (no more than 250 words total) describing two potential student research projects. Please also provide a 3- to 10-word summary for each of the two project ideas. For mentors selected to participate, proposed research topics will be listed on the OTS website so that student applicants can select their preferred mentors/projects in their applications. This is an eight-week program in which mentors must be willing and able to mentor students - via skype/email if not in person - until the end of the program (July 31st at Las Cruces and August 7th at La Selva). Students typically require extra attention during the final two weeks of the program as they analyze and write up their data. The letter of interest should address the potential mentor´s - Availability (dates) to be on site during the summer (If you are applying as a team, please consider that the primary mentor should be present for at least four weeks and should be the one to submit the application) - Preference for working at La Selva or Las Cruces - Willingness to work at the non-preferred site For researchers who have not previously served as mentors in the La Selva OTS REU or Las Cruces NAPIRE, please also provide a curriculum vitae and a statement of mentoring philosophy and experience. To allow sufficient time for appropriate matches between mentors and accepted participants, please send this information by no later than October 25, 2018. Applications should be emailed to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Important information to know before you apply: 1. Students will have no more than six weeks for data collection in the eight-week program, so please consider projects that can be easily completed within this time. 2. If possible, REU research projects should be independent to the degree that there is a potential for publication with the student as the first author on the paper. The REUs should feel some ownership of their projects (or their parts of a larger project) and should not be acting simply as research assistants.
