ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH AS EDUCATION NETWORK

MISSION

To create a model for collaborative ecological research that generates high-quality, publishable data involving undergraduate students and faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs).

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​GOALS
• Develop collaborative research projects among PUIs that fit within the constraints of scientists with significant teaching responsibilities.
• Enhance the roles of PUI scientists and their students in existing and emerging ecological research networks.
• Maximize student engagement in authentic science while generating publication quality data.
• Create an online database of data sets collected by the PUI network.

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FUNDING
EREN is currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Research Coordination Network program.

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PROJECTS: TurtlePop (Conservation Biology 2019), WORMS, BirdWindow Collision, MAST, Milkweed, Garlic Mustard (Bioscience 2022), Lichens in Diverse Landscapes (LDL)

Flexible Learning Projects: EREN members created educational materials which merge National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) data with that associated with these projects. The projects were designed to be easily be adapted to F2F, online, hybrid learning formats. The four flex projects are: 1) Plants in the human-altered environment (PHAE), 2) Backyard bees and pollinators, 3) Mosquito surveys along anthropogenic impact gradients, 4) Lichens in diverse landscapes (LDL). This effort was funded through NSF award# DBI-2037827. I am co-PI on the Lichens in diverse landscapes project, feel free to reach out if you are planning to embed this in your class.