REU in Koobi Fora, Kenya: Past and Present Human-Environment Dynamics
The George Washington University NSF REU
Application
Details
Posted: 08-Dec-22
Location: Washington, D.C.
Benefits:
Other
Sector:
Academic
Work Function:
Research
Preferred Education:
Current Undergraduate
The project is jointly funded by the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program. It has both scientific and societal benefits and integrates research with education. The collaborative Research Experience for Undergraduates: Past, Present and Human-Environment Dynamics program builds on the success of the Koobi Fora Research and Training Program (KFRTP) and will develop a new framework for integrated training and research in anthropology, archaeology, geology, human biology and ethnoarchaeology. Humans have been interacting with changing environments for thousands of years. For communities that live in remote and resource poor ecosystems, environmental changes present life-threatening challenges. Changes in subsistence practices in the past have allowed humans to adapt to environmental changes. These subsistence changes have also had a dramatic impact on the ecosystems that humans lived in with consequences for the health of communities that live in remote habitats. This project will train 3 cohorts of 8 students from diverse backgrounds (including in service teachers) that will learn a variety of transferable STEM skills to investigate the intersection of human behavior and environmental change. Multiple mentorship contexts will allow students to learn skills in a supportive and collaborative environment. This project will focus on student support and the development of cohorts who will investigate critical components of the interaction of humans and their environments. Each student will: 1) generate new knowledge by designing and conducting an original research project with leading international human biologists and archaeologists, 2) collect and analyze data using state-of-the-art methods, 3) synthesize and present the findings at follow-up workshops and professional development seminars in the U.S., and 4) engage in training on the public understanding of science with outreach coordinators at the American Museum of Natural History (New York).
The project is funded by the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program. The field site is jointly run by The George Washington University and the National Museums of Kenya.
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