Overview

The aim of this REU Program is to provide 8 students with 8-weeks of research experiences in quantifying water and energy demands of various land uses in Florida. The students will also learn the significance of this quantification and how it can result in changes in current management practices and decisions, through extension activities. All the projects will involve using similar equipment to measure different components of the water and energy balance. This will allow cross-site comparisons and generalization of the results to different scenarios. The projects are intended to provide students:

• with a basic understanding of water and energy balance components and their significance.
• with hands-on experience in designing and conducting laboratory/field experiments for; installing state-of-the-art field instrumentation; and/or collecting and analyzing data.
• with data analyses and numerical modeling tools such as Matlab and/or Fortran, that can be easily extended to any research area they choose in the future.
• with experience in working collaboratively in teams, while each member contributes significantly to the overall project.
• with strong linkages between research and extension activities.
• with opportunities for professional development, technical writing, and presentation