CASE STUDY OF THE NSF-REU PROGRAM, MATANUSKA GLACIER, ALASKA: LOGISTICS, SUCCESSES, AND CHALLENGES

This paper provides suggestions for establishing and operation a National Science Foundation (NSF)-Site Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, based on our experiences at the Matanuska Glacier, south-central Alaska. Access to the glacier is via Glacier Park Resort at mile 102 of the Glenn Highway. The camp area and roads to the glacier’s terminus are developed, making travel to and from the field efficient. The field station is within an hours drive of Palmer, Alaska; thus, we have easy access to laundry facilities, equipment supply, and groceries. The glacier environment provides students opportunities to conduct research on sedimentological, hydrological, glaciological, and paleo-environmental problems. The REU program at the Matanuska Glacier is a six-week program with six undergraduate participants. Students are paid a weekly stipend, and living expenses are covered under the grant. Students are recruited from within the sponsoring institution(s); students are also recruited from other institutions throughout the nation via a program announcement and regional seminars. Students collect data in the field and conduct laboratory/computer analyses at their respective home institutions during the following academic year. The REU experience culminates in a poster presentation at a meeting of the Geological Society of America.

When selecting a location for an undergraduate research site, the program director(s) must consider where geologic research problems exist that are 1. logistically accessible, 2. in a relatively safe working environment, 3. within proximity to research and living supplies, and 4. diverse enough such that several students can conduct projects for the duration of the program. Primary issues that need to be addressed in the planning stages include: duration of the program, student recruitment, feasibility of completing goals in specified time (will work be completed in the field or will there be a component of research throughout the school year?), capacity of the camp or research facilities, costs (travel, stipends, living expenses, equipment, travel to meetings, publication or recruitment costs), an appropriate student to faculty ratio, and the method of dissemination of results.