1.  What about housing? 
REU students have the option of paid housing in dorms on campus or renting an apartment using their own funds. Usually it isn’t too difficult to find a reasonably priced apartment or room in a house since many students are gone during the summer months. Expect to pay somewhere between $300 and 550/month, with rooms in houses on the low end of the spectrum and single bedroom apartments on the high end. There are also spartan dorm rooms available at our field station, but these are primarily used for short-term stays during intensive field collection periods. If you decide you would like to spend the summer in the dorms please contact me ASAP.

2.  What about transportation to and from my field research? 
Our field station is about 45 minutes from Fort Collins and is in a very rural part of Colorado, so you will need to get to and from the station. Certainly, the easiest and most convenient method is to have your own car. If not contact other SGS LTER REU’s and see if you can carpool to your sites. You can also hitch a ride with the field crew van which departs from CSU ~7:30am and returns between 4:30 and 5:30pm Monday – Friday. You will need to coordinate with the field crew leader if you need to get to a particular part of the Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) or the Pawnee National Grasslands (PNG). Please remember that the field crew is doing you a favor (providing you with transportation) and it may not always fit into their schedule to take you halfway across the PNG. 

3.  What will my hours be? 
Generally you will be expected to work 40 hours/week, but sometimes you may need to work a little more or a little less – depending on the research project you work on. The first 3 weeks will be primarily 8-5 Monday – Friday, after that your hours will depend more upon the schedule you determine with your mentor/advisor. Some research protocols may require weekend work, but you may balance this with days off during the week. 

4.  When do we start? 
Typically we begin the REU program in the third or fourth week in May and it runs through the middle of August. 

5.  Where will I spend most of my time? 
The first few weeks will be spent almost entirely on the Colorado State University campus. The next several weeks will probably require more and more time in the field, planning and executing a research project. The last few weeks will probably be spent mostly on campus working through the data you have collected. 

6.  If I am selected, is there anything I should be reading before I begin the REU program? 
First, explore the rest of the SGS LTER website ( http:// sgs.cnr.colostate.edu) and pay particular attention to the sections on current research projects and take a look at our 2002  National Science Foundation (NSF) proposal. A package of readings will be sent to you and will include general scientific papers aimed at introducing the students to the ecology of the shortgrass steppe. This is required reading for all REU participants. The current readings included in this package are: 

1. Burke, I. C., W. K. Lauenroth and D. G. Milchunas. 1997. Biogeochemistry of managed grasslands in the Central Grasslands of the U.S. In: Paul, E., K. Paustian, E. T. Elliot and C.V. Cole (eds). Soil organic matter in temperate agroecosystems.  Lewis Publishers.       

2. Lauenroth, W.K. and D.G. Milchunas 1991. Short-grass steppe. pp. 183-226. In Coupland, R.T(ed(s)). Natural grasslands: Introduction and Western Hemisphere. Ecosystems of the World, 8A, Elseveir, NY.                                                                                                                                         

3. Milchunas, D.G., O.E. Sala, and W.K. Lauenroth. 1988. A generalized model of the effects of grazing by large herbivores on grassland community structure. American Naturalist 132:87-106.  

4. Stapp, P. A re-evaluation of the role of prairie dogs in Great Plains grasslands. 
    Conservation Biology (in press – December, 1998)

7.  Who do I contact if I have more questions? 
SGS- LTER REU Coordinator: Sallie Sprague