Eastern receives research camp grant
Students will investigate carbon impact on Kentucky streams
Kaylia Cornett
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: News
This summer, some undergraduate students will get the opportunity to get their boots muddy-very muddy. They'll be doing it in the name of science, in an effort to improve the quality of Kentucky's streams.
Beginning this summer, Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky will be hosting a 10-week-long environmental research program, in which eight to 10 undergraduate students will be conducting research on the impact of coal mining on soil carbon storage and erosion in Appalachian headwater streams.
The program is part of a three-year grant sponsored by the Research Experience for Undergraduates program (REU), which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Aside from the military, the NSF is the largest funding agency for science programs in the United States, said Alice Jones, research director for the environmental research program.
The research program is a joint collaboration between Eastern and the University of Kentucky. Jones will be co-leading the program with James Fox, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky Department for Civil Engineering.
Eastern will be providing the land for field research, including access to Lilley Cornett Woods and other sites in Letcher, Perry, and Leslie counties. The University of Kentucky will be providing lab resources for students.
Jones said students will be provided a variety of faculty mentors in different specialized fields, such as biology and chemistry, in order to better suit the students' needs as they work toward their research goals.
"We want to give [students] as much latitude as possible to develop their own projects," Jones said.
A majority of the funding for the project goes straight to the participants, which makes it unique, Jones said. Students will be provided free housing at the University of Kentucky, earn a weekly salary of $450 and have most of their meals provided.
Jones said while the program is accepting applications nationwide, special effort is being made to recruit students from Appalachian regions, because they are already familiar with the area.
Beginning this summer, Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky will be hosting a 10-week-long environmental research program, in which eight to 10 undergraduate students will be conducting research on the impact of coal mining on soil carbon storage and erosion in Appalachian headwater streams.
The program is part of a three-year grant sponsored by the Research Experience for Undergraduates program (REU), which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Aside from the military, the NSF is the largest funding agency for science programs in the United States, said Alice Jones, research director for the environmental research program.
The research program is a joint collaboration between Eastern and the University of Kentucky. Jones will be co-leading the program with James Fox, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky Department for Civil Engineering.
Eastern will be providing the land for field research, including access to Lilley Cornett Woods and other sites in Letcher, Perry, and Leslie counties. The University of Kentucky will be providing lab resources for students.
Jones said students will be provided a variety of faculty mentors in different specialized fields, such as biology and chemistry, in order to better suit the students' needs as they work toward their research goals.
"We want to give [students] as much latitude as possible to develop their own projects," Jones said.
A majority of the funding for the project goes straight to the participants, which makes it unique, Jones said. Students will be provided free housing at the University of Kentucky, earn a weekly salary of $450 and have most of their meals provided.
Jones said while the program is accepting applications nationwide, special effort is being made to recruit students from Appalachian regions, because they are already familiar with the area.
Be the first to comment on this story