Project Grant 2548054

The University of New Mexico received a $443,190 Project Grant award dated May 1, 2026, from the National Science Foundation's Division of Biological Infrastructure under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074). This REU Sites award funds a 10-week undergraduate research training program during summers 2026-2028, providing experiential learning for 10 students annually at the UNM Sevilleta Field Station located on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Socorro County, New Mexico. The program delivers comprehensive research mentorship and professional development services, with student participants conducting independent research projects in dryland ecology and biodiversity under faculty guidance while contributing to nearly 40 years of accumulated ecological research from the Sevilleta Long-Term Ecological Research Program.

The award supports multiple educational and training deliverables, including instruction in research methodologies, data analysis using R programming, conservation management principles, and professional development workshops focused on research ethics and communication skills. Faculty mentors with expertise across ecology, conservation biology, plants, animals, and fungi facilitate collaborative learning experiences that develop student competencies in critical thinking, oral and written communication, and public speaking. Program assessment occurs through participant surveys and longitudinal tracking of student career outcomes, with many participants expected to present research results at scientific conferences. The intensive field station environment fosters close student-mentor interactions and professional networking among cohorts of similarly interested undergraduate researchers, building foundational skills for entry into advanced scientific careers.