Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology Student Surveys 2016-2021

Program Context Since its inception in 1985, when a single undergraduate worked on a study of old-growth forests, the Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology (HF-SRPE) has developed into a thriving and well-coordinated program that is central to the educational and research mission of the biological field station. With core support since 1993 from a succession of NSF REU Site awards and NSF REU supplements, and with additional funding from Harvard University, HF-SRPE has grown to support 20-30 undergraduate students annually. Students are mentored by principle investigators and senior scientists in conducting research in ecology, soil science, paleoecology, wildlife biology, conservation biology, and atmospheric sciences. The research conducted by our HF-SRPE students contributes substantially to long-term scientific investigations supported by NSF’s Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) – Earth Ventures (EV) programs, The Smithsonian Institution’s ForestGEO network of plots, and Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Institute for Global Environmental Change (NIGEC). The overarching objectives of the program are to: enhance the ability of students to undertake high-quality interdisciplinary research; build teams of researchers in which students bring different strengths to the table, collaborate on cutting-edge projects, and find their own intellectual “voice”; encourage students to link fundamental and applied issues in their research; and cultivate the next generation of ecological scientists and educators that reflects the diversity of backgrounds and experiences of students in the United States. Problem Statement Starting in 2005 the National Science Foundation (NSF), as one of the largest funders of undergraduate research programs, began emphasizing the use of project evaluations to both qualitatively and quantitatively measure the success of REU programs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Supplements and Sites: Program Solicitation NSF 05-592, 2005). One objective of this initiative, reaffirmed by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, is to track the success and outcomes of REU participants. Section 514 of this Act requires that “student participants are tracked, for employment and continued matriculation in STEM fields, through receipt of the undergraduate degree and for at least 3 years thereafter”. Due to the long-term mission of Harvard Forest and the HF-SRPE, we are actively tracking the success of participants following their participation in the program.程序背景 自1985年创立之初，仅由一名本科生开展原始森林相关研究，哈佛森林生态暑期研究项目（Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology, HF-SRPE）现已发展为一项成熟且协同高效的项目，成为该生物野外站教育与研究使命的核心组成部分。自1993年起，项目获得美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation, NSF）系列本科生研究体验项目（Research Experiences for Undergraduates, REU）站点资助及REU补充资助，并辅以哈佛大学的额外资金支持，现已发展为每年可支持20至30名本科生参与的项目。项目由首席研究员（Principal Investigators）与资深科学家为学生提供指导，引导学生开展生态学、土壤科学、古生态学、野生动物生物学、保护生物学及大气科学领域的研究。HF-SRPE学生所开展的研究，为多项长期科学调查提供了重要支撑，这些调查包括美国国家科学基金会的长期生态研究（Long-Term Ecological Research, LTER）与国家生态观测站网络（National Ecological Observatory Network, NEON）项目、美国国家航空航天局（NASA）地球系统科学探路者（Earth System Science Pathfinder, ESSP）-地球风险（Earth Ventures, EV）计划、史密森学会森林地理监测网络（ForestGEO）样地网络，以及美国能源部（Department of Energy, DOE）全球环境变化国家研究所（National Institute for Global Environmental Change, NIGEC）的相关工作。本项目的总体目标包括：提升学生开展高质量跨学科研究的能力；组建研究团队，让学生发挥各自优势，合作推进前沿课题，并形成独立的学术见解；鼓励学生在研究中兼顾基础科学与应用科学问题；培养下一代生态科学研究者与教育者，其背景与经历应体现美国学生群体的多样性。 问题陈述 自2005年起，作为本科生研究项目的最大资助方之一，美国国家科学基金会（NSF）开始强调通过项目评估，从定性与定量两个维度衡量REU项目的实施成效（详见《本科生研究体验项目补充资助与站点计划征集公告（NSF 05-592，2005）》）。该倡议的目标之一，经2010年《美国竞争法重新授权法案》再次确认，是追踪REU参与者的后续发展与成果。该法案第514条要求"对学生参与者进行追踪，涵盖其获得本科学位后至少3年内的就业情况及在科学、技术、工程、数学（Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, STEM）领域的继续深造情况"。鉴于哈佛森林及HF-SRPE的长期使命，我们正积极追踪项目参与者在参与项目后的发展成效。