CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: REU SITE IN ETHIOPIA Application deadline: February 15, 2016. Website: http://www.colby.edu/reu-in-ethiopia/
We are now accepting applications for a NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program based at Colby College and South Gondar, Ethiopia. This REU will provide eight American undergraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds an opportunity to conduct path-breaking interdisciplinary research on the ecological, economic and cultural roles of church forests. Church forests are patches of Afromontane forest surrounding Ethiopian Orthodox churches. Preserved for centuries by church leaders and communities as religious sanctuaries, church forests are, in many parts of Ethiopia, the only indigenous forests left. Under the eight-week summer REU program students will receive training at Colby College (Maine, USA) in ecological field methods (restoration ecology, stream ecology), social survey research, spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and written and oral communication. They will then travel to South Gondar, Ethiopia to conduct hands-on fieldwork with mentors from Colby College, the California Academy of Sciences, and Ethiopian academic and government institutions. Completed applications including 2 letters of recommendation are due by February 15th. The 2016 Summer REU Site program will run from July 6th – August 24th (approximate). All travel costs will be covered by NSF and the summer program includes a generous stipend. All participants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents enrolled at a U.S. college or university at the time of the program (seniors graduating in Spring 2016 are not eligible). Details about the project and application instructions can be found at: http://www.colby.edu/reu-in-ethiopia/