Petersham , Massachusetts
http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/
May 29 - August 17, 2007

Program Description: Each student will participate in an on-going study with a researcher from Harvard University , The Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biology Laboratory or other institutions.  Responsibilities generally include field sampling, laboratory studies, data analysis and scientific writing. In addition, students attend weekly seminars and workshops given by nationally known scientists about their research, and about career planning, ecological ethics, and graduate school preparation.  At the end of the summer, students will develop their research results, prepare an abstract, and present their findings at a student research symposium.  Academic credit may be arranged with the student’s home institution.

Research Projects: Harvard Forest research focuses on the effects of natural and human disturbances on forest ecosystems, including global warming, hurricanes, forest harvesting, and invasive organisms. Researchers come from many disciplines and specific projects center on population and community ecology, paleoecology, land-use history, aquatic ecology, biogeochemistry, ecophysiology, and atmosphere-biosphere exchanges. Summer 2007 project listings and researchers are detailed at the Harvard Forest website http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/education/reu/reu.html.

Harvard Forest : The Forest is located in central Massachusetts , about 70 miles west of Boston .  The 3000-acre rural site lies in the Transition Hardwood-White Pine-Hemlock forest region, and includes a variety of forests and wetlands.  Facilities include greenhouses, herbarium, computer laboratory, library, archives, the Fisher Museum of Forestry, and laboratories for nutrient analysis, physiological and population ecology, and tree-ring and pollen analysis. More information about the Forest is available at http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/.

Compensation:  Students are paid a stipend of $4800 for the 12‑week session which runs from May 29 through August 17, 2007. Excellent housing and a full meal plan are included as part of the program.  Assistance with travel costs to and from Harvard Forest is also available.
                                                     
Application process:  Visit http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/education/reu/reu.html for our on-line application.  Applications are due March 7, 2007.