Learning to Become Researchers: Lessons Learned from a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program Focused on Research in the Psychological Sciences with Real-World Implications

This research study at a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates site focuses on psychological research with applications to the real world. Two cohorts of undergraduates engaged in rigorous research projects on, e.g., driving, homeland security, relationships, human-computer interaction, language comprehension and production, discrimination, and health psychology. Results indicated that students and mentors perceived an improvement in the students' research skills.

The ups and downs of the Missouri River from Pleistocene to present: Impact of climatic change and forebulge migration on river profiles, river course, and valley fill complexity

The Missouri River is a continent-scale river that has thus far escaped a rigorous reporting of valley fill trends within its trunk system. This study summarizes evolution of the lower Missouri River profile from the time of outwash in the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) until establishment of the modern dominantly precipitation-fed river. This work relies on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, water-well data, and a collection of surficial geological maps of the valley compiled from U.S. Geological Survey EDMAP and National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergrads projects. Mapping reveals five traceable surfaces within valley fill between Yankton, South Dakota, USA, and Columbia, Missouri, USA, that record two cycles of incision and aggradation between ca. 23 ka and ca. 8 ka. The river aggraded during the LGM to form the Malta Bend surface by ca. 26 ka. The Malta Bend surface is buried and fragmented but presumed to record a braided outwash plain. The Malta Bend surface was incised up to 18 m between ca. 23 ka and ca. 16 ka to form the Carrolton surface (ca. 16 ka to ca. 14 ka). The Carrollton surface ghosts a braided outwash morphology locally through overlying mud. Aggradation followed (ca. 14 ka to ca. 13.5 ka) to within 4 m of the modern floodplain surface and generated the Salix surface (ca. 13.5 to ca. 12 ka). By Salix time, the Missouri River was no longer an outwash river and formed a single-thread meandering pattern. Reincision at ca. 12 ka followed Salix deposition to form the short-lived Vermillion surface at approximately the grade of the earlier Carrolton surface. Rapid aggradation from ca. 10 ka to ca. 8 ka followed and formed the modern Omaha surface (ca. 8 ka to Present). The higher Malta Bend and Omaha profiles are at roughly the same grade, as are the lower Carrolton and Vermillion surfaces. The Salix surface is in between. All surfaces converge downstream as they enter the narrow and shallow bedrock valley just before reaching Columbia, Missouri. The maximum departure of the profiles is 18 m near Sioux City, Iowa, USA, at ∼100 km downstream from the James Lobe glacial input near Yankton, South Dakota. Incision and aggradation appear to be driven by relative changes in input of sediment and water related to glacial advance and retreat and then later by climatic changes near the Holocene transition. The incision from the Malta Bend to the Carrolton surface records the initial breakdown of the cryosphere at the end of the LGM, and this same incisional event is found in both the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. This incisional event records a “big wash” that resulted in the evacuation of sediment from each of the major outwash rivers of North America. The direction and magnitude of incision from the LGM to the modern does not fit with modeled glacioisostatic adjustment trends for the Missouri Valley. Glaciotectonics likely influenced the magnitude of incision and aggradation secondarily but does not appear to have controlled the overall timing or magnitude of either. Glaciotectonic valley tilting during the Holocene, however, did likely cause the Holocene channel to consistently migrate away from the glacial front, which argues for a forebulge axis south of the Missouri Valley during the Holocene and, by inference, earlier. This is at least 200 km south of where models predict the Holocene forebulge axis. The Missouri Valley thus appears to reside in the tectonic low between the ice front and the forebulge crest. The buffer valley component of incision caused by profile variation could explain as much as 25 m of the total ∼40 m of valley incision at Sioux City, Iowa. The Missouri Valley also hosted a glacial lobe as far south as Sioux City, Iowa, in pre-Wisconsinan time, which is also a factor in valley excavation.

Experiential Graduate Course Prepares Transdisciplinary Future Leaders to Innovate at the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

Food, energy and water (FEW) systems are critically stressed worldwide. These challenges require transformative science, engineering and policy solutions. However, cross-cutting solutions can only arise through transdisciplinary training of our future science and policy leaders. The University of Maryland Global STEWARDS National Science Foundation Research Traineeship seeks to meet these needs. This study assessed a foundational component of the program: a novel, experiential course focused on transdisciplinary training and communication skills. We drew on data from the first two offerings of the course and utilized a mixed-method, multi-informant evaluation that included validated pre–post surveys, individual interviews and focus groups. Paired Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon tests were used to compare pre- and post-means. After the course, students reported improvements in their ability to identify strengths and weaknesses of multiple FEW nexus disciplines; articulate interplays between FEW systems at multiple scales; explain to peers the most important aspects of their research; and collaborate with scientists outside their field. Students also reported improvements in their oral and written communication skills, along with their ability to critically review others’ work. Our findings demonstrate that this graduate course can serve as an effective model to develop transdisciplinary researchers and communicators through cutting edge, experiential curricular approaches.

La forêt suisse entre approvisionnement en bois et multifonctionnalité (essai)

The Swiss forest between wood supply and multifunctionality (essay) Swiss forestry operations have been in deficit for decades. Timber prices fall while production costs rise. At the same time, demand for non-market forest services continues to increase. The challenge is to ensure a sustainable timber supply from Swiss forests in the future, while taking into account the multifunctionality of the forest. According to the results of a Swiss national science foundation research project on this issue, non-market forest services are highly valued by the population. The study also identified significant potential for improving the performance of forest operations, in particular by achieving economies of scale. In addition, the exploitation and maintenance of the forest has positive externalities, which justifies the payment of targeted public subsidies to the forest sector.

Outcomes from a research experience for undergraduates (REU) program focused on behavioral research with real-world implications

The current study examined a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site which provided research training to eight female undergraduates. Although it is well known that undergraduate research experiences benefit students and help them pursue careers in science (e.g., Eagan et al., 2011; Taraban & Logue, 2012; Willis et al., 2013), it is important for students to recognize the association between their research and real-world issues (ASHA, 2015; Rhoten & Pfirman, 2007). Human Factors/Ergonomics provides rich opportunities to enhance research experiences for undergraduates. In the current study, students conducted research focused on real-world implications with topics such as driving, human-robot interaction, and relationships. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed to assess the effectiveness of the training. Measures included students’ ratings on the Undergraduate Research Questionnaire and the Kardash Ratings of Interns’ Research Skills; diaries of training experiences, and semi-structured interviews. Students and their faculty mentors perceived improvements in the students’ research skills after the completion of the training program. In addition, the students described positive experiences from the training and thought they gained preparation for their careers. The strengths and weakness of the training program that were identified by the students will be useful to improve REUs that are conducted in the future. In conclusion, consistent with prior research, undergraduate research training (or experience) focused on real-world applications was effective.