REU Site: Research Experience for Undergraduates: Interdisciplinary Cutting-Edge Research though the Analysis of Global Data

DESCRIPTION: Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), located in Palasaides, NY will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The title of the program is “Interdisciplinary Cutting-Edge Research through the Analysis of Global Data", and it will provide ten-week research internship opportunities for fourteen undergraduates each summer from 2021-2023.

The program takes students from posing a cutting-edge scientific question, to gathering and analyzing data, developing conceptual hypotheses, and culminates in activities that communicate their results to scientific and broader audiences. Students work with LDEO’s interdisciplinary research community and are individually mentored by at least one of LDEO’s 180 PhD-level scientists. The global data theme focuses the experience on data-driven, solutions-oriented approaches to scientific questions. A lecture series on forefront research and workshops in professional ethics, data display and manipulation, scientific writing, and career opportunities add depth to the experience. The program includes a formal outcome-based evaluation by an educational professional, together with a midterm review of students and mentors. Students will be housed in dormitories at the nearby Dominican College and/or participate virtually. The program is co-funded by the Division of Ocean Sciences and the Division of Earth Sciences.