REU FIELD WORK AT THE ARBORETUM
            The Arboretum field work experience is designed to give you hands on experience doing scientific investigation. As a group you will develop hypotheses, answer those hypotheses through investigation and report your results. Although the Arboretum investigation may not directly relate to your individual project, it will serve as a “training ground” for the rigors of developing a hypothesis, getting data and communicating your results.

WEDNESDAY EVENNING CLASS MEETINGS
            In our Wednesday evening class we will focus primarily on communicating your results. You will be given weekly writing assignments designed to help you develop your science writing. Each week we will focus on a new section of your paper beginning with the Introduction then moving through the Methods, Results and Discussion sections of a standard science paper.  During the final two weeks of seminar you will learn the key elements in creating a good scientific research poster. Some of the key elements that we will focus on are design, readability and research content. Finally, we will also invite guest speakers into the classroom to discuss career options, scholarship opportunities and graduate and undergraduate research.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
            For nine weeks your focus will be on your research experience. This experience blends aspects of learning science and with elements of working at a job under the guidance of a faculty mentor and students who have experience working with your faculty mentor. You will work towards the completion of a particular aspect of a research project, while seeing how it fits in to the work of a larger group. The goal is to expose you to the rigors of working in a research group in a format that teaches you the skills you need to succeed as you go. Some days you may make measurements through a microscope or pipette solutions or map trees outdoors. Other days you may spend analyzing data or writing about your work. The daily schedule depends on the type of research project. Please see the mentors page for some of the potential research topics.