Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at Hubbard Brook Forest: The Aging of a Forest in the Anthropocene Invertebrates are an essential link in the food chain. This project aims to understand how the abundance of forest invertebrates vary as a result of forest succession and available nutrients. We aim to collect insect and gastropod samples from three locations at Hubbard Brook: 1) Watershed 1, where 45 tons of calcium silicate were added via helicopter in 1999, 2) Watershed 5, where a whole-tree harvest was carried out from 1983 to 1984, and 3) Watershed 6, the reference watershed. With these samples, we can compare invertebrate abundance and species composition in the reference forest to that in an acid-remediated forest of the same age, and a forest that is now at about the same age as the other forests were when studies began 50 years ago.
The program runs from late May to mid-August. Students receive a $5000 stipend for the 10-week program, as well as free housing. Limited funding is available for research supplies and travel expenses. Food costs are paid by the participants and run approximately $42/week. Students live at Hubbard Brook Research Foundation’s researcher housing adjacent to the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, among a community of summer field students and technicians. All residents are expected to share and cooperate with cleaning, cooking, and related chores.
Co-mentors: Dr. Matt Ayres (matthew.p.ayres@dartmouth.edu) and Miranda Zammarelli (miranda.zammarelli.gr@dartmouth.edu), Dartmouth College.
To apply please email the following to miranda.zammarelli.gr@dartmouth.edu: 1.A one page resume (including relevant coursework)2.Contacts for three people who can provide a reference3.Short answers (~1 paragraph each) to the following questions:
- There are many options for working in the environment, and research is one particular way. Why do you want to explore research?
- Why are you interested in the research project to which you are applying?
- How do you think that participating in the Hubbard Brook REU program could help you in your degree program and in your future pursuits?
https://hubbardbrook.org/undergraduate-graduate/