Download 2005 NSF Conference Svalbard REU poster

Calibrating Past Climate Change in the High Arctic:
Svalbard REU, Norway
Werner,
1
A. ,
Roof,
2
S. ,
3
Brigham-Grette,J. ,
Powell,
4
R. ,
Retelle,
(1) Department of Earth and Environment, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA 01075, [email protected]
(2) School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA 01002, [email protected]
(3) Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003 [email protected]
(4) Department of Geology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115 [email protected]
(5) Department of Geology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04240 [email protected]
5
M.J.
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/go/svalbard
OVERARCHING GOAL:
EXOTIC LOCATION
Svalbard
 International Location
- Norwegian Arctic
To expose undergraduate students to the excitement and
challenges of conducting arctic climate change research.
UNIQUE FEATURES
 Exotic international location
 High-Arctic Field-Based Program
 Intense – hands-on fieldwork
 Remote Field Site
 Students have ownership of their research projects
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
 Participation at professional conferences
To better understand climate change in the Arctic, students are
monitoring…
…all so we can
•Glacier health (snow
better
accumulation vs. melting)
interpret the
26cm
records of
past climate
change
preserved in
lake and fjord 28cm
sediments
 Continuing collaboration by former participants
TREC K-12 TEACHER
INVOLVEMENT
•Sediment transport and deposition
ARCUS and NSF sponsor a K-12 teacher who
•
30cm
 Works closely with all field teams
 Maintains an active web diary of the project
 Discusses careers in teaching with students
 Develops engaging science K-12 activities
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
See http://www.arcus.org/TREC/
Training students to become proficient scientists
We provide:
Safety and classroom training
PEER MENTORING
Broad research objectives
Our students take charge!
Mentoring, equipment, moral support
 They collaborate
Students:
 Design and defend individual research project
 Collect and analyze data and samples
 Learn many practical facets of field research
 Continue projects at home institution
Benefits:
Students become vested in their projects
 Students carry excitement back home
Students serve as role models to peers
 They evaluate each others’ ideas
 They motivate each other (and us!)
 They lead and assist each other
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
BY STUDENTS
 Seminars at their home institutions
 Presentations to local K-12 schools
 Interviews with local papers
 Presentations at professional meetings
CROSS-CULTURAL BENEFITS
Our REU students
 Live and work with international students
 Experience different cultures
 Interact with international scientists