About this REU

What problems will this REU address?

Global change is threatening coastal regions throughout the Caribbean and the southeastern USA (USGCRP, 2018). The United States was recently ranked as the 12th most at risk country by the Global Climate Risk Index, while Puerto Rico was ranked as the #1 most at risk region in the world (Eckstein, Hutfils, & Winges, 2017). Long-term transitions in climate and sea level are driving shifts in human and natural systems in ways that we have yet to comprehend and are likely to change the inherent functioning and sustainability of the environment and societies around the world (Lin & Petersen, 2013; Moore, 2018; NAP, 2010; Scheffer et al., 2012; van der Bolt, van Nes, Bathiany, Vollebregt, & Scheffer, 2018). Extreme weather events, such as recent tropical cyclones Maria, Florence, and Michael, cause sudden perturbations that push natural and built environments in coastal regions to the point of failure, often setting off cascading impacts across many sectors (e.g., health, energy, industry, agriculture, tourism, etc.) (Cutter, 2018; Gornall et al., 2010; Pescaroli & Alexander, 2016).

Coastal problems don’t just depend on the coast…

Many coastal problems, such as flooding during hurricanes or the degradation of coastal ecosystems, don’t just depend on choices made at the coast. They often also depend on land use and management choices made inland. This REU therefore has two overarching focus areas: “Dynamic Coastlines” and “Evolving Uplands“. Research projects may fit into either of these theme areas, thus providing diverse opportunities for student researchers to put their work within a broader geographical and societal context. The interconnections between projects in this REU will encourage participants to become systems thinkers, which is an increasingly important research skill needed to address the world’s most pressing problems.

Science is a team sport!

Understanding how global change and human decision-making influence the coast and identifying opportunities for adaptation are critical problems to increase the resilience of coastal communities. The central theme of this REU is understanding how human actions are impacting coastal resilience to global change. Though the individual project activities and methods are highly diverse, systems science will be a unifying theme across the project. As such, this REU also has a focus on Team Science, which is a critical part of modern research. Each student in the REU will pursue an individual research project, but will also collaborate with other students, faculty, researchers, and community members to integrate their work within a broader context.

Growing interdisciplinary research skills.

Supporting your growth as a researcher means more than working on a project. As a participant in this REU, you will engage in a variety of professional development activities that span core systems knowledge, technologies for doing science, and professional skills. Thus, in addition to an intensive 10-week research experience working closely with a mentor, you will also take part in four phases of professional development activities starting in the spring before the REU and continuing through the summer of your research experience.

Phase 1: Our REU Bootcamp will take place in the first week of your summer research experience. During the Bootcamp you will learn about tools for building effective collaborations when team members come from diverse backgrounds, collaboration tools to help a science team keep on track and bridge the gap across geographic areas, methods for approaching research from a systems science perspective, and skills for becoming an effective science communicator. You will also have the opportunity to learn about different coastal environments through field experiences*. Some of the topics that will be covered at the Bootcamp include:

Coastal Issues and Systems Science
The Role of Teams in Interdisciplinary Science
Geographical and Social Context of the Carolinas and Puerto Rico
Utilizing Diversity as a Strength in Research Innovation
Details of REU Research Projects

*Note on COVID-19: The field component of the Bootcamp will depend on conditions related to COVID-19 at the time of the REU, but we expect that some combination of the two following options are likely for summer 2021: (1) REU participants gather at ECU’s Coastal Studies Institute in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and explore coastal environments in this region; or (2) introductions to environments in each region will take place using virtual reality (e.g., 360-degree videos).

Phase 2: Throughout your summer research experience you will take part in weekly professional development seminars that are focused on building your knowledge base of coastal issues, learning technologies that build your toolbox for conducting effective research, and professional development that will help to prepare you for your future career. Topics of the workshops will include the use of tools like Geographical Information Systems (GIS), virtual reality, simulation, and data science to advance your research. You will learn critical skills for reviewing and summarizing the literature that will help you quickly and effectively advance your research. Over the summer you will build skills as a communicator – both through formal pathways, such as reporting research through publications and conference presentations, as well as by shaping your online professional identity. Helping the public understand your science is more important today than ever! Perhaps most importantly, you will learn about and share challenges that scientists and engineers from diverse backgrounds face in their work.

Phase 3: As an alumni of our REU, we want you to remain engaged and share your experience with future REU attendees! Building a network of peers, faculty, and community members will help you to create your own pathway to success in your future career.

References Cited:

Cutter, S. L. (2018). Compound, cascading, or complex disasters: What’s in a name? Environment, 60(6), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00139157.2018.1517518

Eckstein, D., Hutfils, M.-L., & Winges, M. (2017). Global Climate Risk Index 2019. Bonn. Retrieved from www.germanwatch.org July, 2019

Gornall, J., Betts, R., Burke, E., Clark, R., Camp, J., Willett, K., & Wiltshire, A. (2010). Implications of climate change for agricultural productivity in the early twenty-first century. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 365(1554), 2973–2989. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0158

Lin, B. B., & Petersen, B. (2013). Resilience, Regime Shifts, and Guided Transition under Climate Change: Examining the Practical Difficulties of Managing Continually Changing Systems. Ecology and Society, 18(1), art28. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05128-180128

Moore, J. C. (2018). Predicting tipping points in complex environmental systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1721206115

NAP (2010). Advancing the Science of Climate Change. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12782

Pescaroli, G., & Alexander, D. (2016). Critical infrastructure, panarchies and the vulnerability paths of cascading disasters. Natural Hazards, 82(1), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2186-3

Scheffer, M., Carpenter, S. R., Lenton, T. M., Bascompte, J., Brock, W., Dakos, V., … Vandermeer, J. (2012). Anticipating critical transitions. Science, 338(6105), 344–348. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1225244

USGCRP. (2018). The Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II. (D. R. Redimiller, C. W. Avery, D. R. Easterling, K. E. Kunkel, K. L. M. Lewis, T. K. Maycock, & B. C. Stewart, Eds.) (Vol. II). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Global Change Research Program. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH8

van der Bolt, B., van Nes, E. H., Bathiany, S., Vollebregt, M. E., & Scheffer, M. (2018). Climate reddening increases the chance of critical transitions. Nature Climate Change, 8(6), 478–484. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0160-7