ERIE-REU Program Description

Overview

The Ecosystem Restoration through Interdisciplinary Exchange (ERIE) REU at the University at Buffalo (UB) is a nine-week program run each summer, starting in 2010.   ERIE-REU participants will have a choice of collaborative and interdisciplinary projects that promote student interactions with multiple investigators within the theme of ecosystem restoration. Combining laboratory and field experimentation with mathematical modeling and simulation, research is organized in three themed areas:

• Restoration of groundwater resources;
• Restoration of lakes, rivers, and aquatic systems; and
• Engineering for sustainability.

Highlights of the ERIE-REU program

• An original research project with one of our faculty members in nine different programs and departments.  Some projects are jointly managed between two faculty members;
• Training workshops in ecological restoration ecology and engineering taught by leading restoration practitioners;
• Seminar workshops in Environmental and Professional Ethics, Research Methods, and Applied Statistical Methods;
• Trips to regional western New York sites for learning in past, current, or future ecological restoration efforts of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems;
• Weekly lectures on ecological restoration issues, professional skills, and career choices;
• Organized social events including trips to the Niagara Falls State Park, Reinstein Woods Nature Center, Shakespeare in the Park, outdoor music events and summer festivals;
• Opportunities to disseminate results of research through oral and poster presentations at a culminating research symposium.

In addition to the research experience, UB's ERIE-REU students receive a $4,500 stipend and housing expenses in an on-campus dorm.

Eligibility

Students must be available to fully participate in the program for the entire 9 weeks.  The research program requires a full-time commitment.  To be eligible, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must be enrolled as undergraduate students in a college program through Fall of the following year(sorry, graduating seniors cannot be accepted).