Bowling Green, Ky. - Students from Western Kentucky University and six other colleges and universities are participating in a National Science Foundation summer research program near Mammoth Cave.

The NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates is providing nine students with environmental research opportunities in the Mammoth Cave/Upper Green River Watershed. The program began June 5 and continues through Aug. 11.

“The scope and impact of most environmental problems requires a multidisciplinary approach in the classroom, field and laboratory,” said Dr. Cathleen Webb, head of WKU’s Chemistry Department.

The project was jointly submitted by the departments of biology, chemistry and geography and geology with support of WKU’s Applied Research and Technology Program of the Ogden College of Science and Engineering.

“This REU site is a cutting-edge example of the increasing focus on multidisciplinary research by the NSF,” Dr. Webb said. She and Dr. Rezaul Mahmood from geography and geology are the principal investigators for the project. “It also serves as an example of the typical research and working environment that the students will experience in their future professional careers.”

The project, which is in its third year, targets first-generation college students from rural and disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds in the Appalachia region, where less than 10 percent of the population holds a postsecondary degree. “The ultimate goal to increase the student’s interest in graduate study and/or careers in an environmentally related profession,” she said.

This year’s participants are Lindsey Clark, Sarah Vied and Jacob Vervynckt, all of WKU; Ryan Gustafson of Ripon College; Amy Jewell of Tusculum College; Charles Trodick of Cornell College; Timothy Barth of Appalachian State University; Christopher Westendorf of Morehead State University; and Carla Ziegler of State University of New York, Binghampton.

Dr. Webb and Dr. Mahmood as well as other faculty mentors have active research projects in collaboration with Mammoth Cave National Park, which is a partner with WKU for the REU project. Faculty who have served as mentors during the project include Dr. Wei-Ping Pan, Dr. Thandi Buthelezi, Dr. Eric Conte and Dr. Young Shon from the Department of Chemistry; Dr. Steven Kenworthy, Dr. John All and Dr. Chris Groves from the Department of Geography and Geology; Dr. Shivendra Sahi and Dr. Scott Grubbs from the Department of Biology.

The students work with faculty and staff mentors in field and laboratory research that goes beyond the classroom setting and develops their scientific maturity while working on research that is ultimately based on service to the greater community, Dr. Webb said.

“All of the proposed research projects have national and global applications and provide the students with a unique opportunity to learn and apply their knowledge to a real and current environmental problem in a rich and meaningful way,” she said.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Cathleen Webb at (270) 745-3457.

-WKU-
"A leading American university with international reach"

Office of Media Relations
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, Ky. 42101-3576
Phone: (270)745-4295 - Fax: (270)7455387 - E-Mail: western@wku.edu