REU site: Biogeochemical Educational Experiences

Click here to see a story on the 2003 REU by the Woodbury Bulletin, Woodbury, Minnesota.

Click here to see a story from the Harmony Mine magazine on the 2002 Workshop.

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Last update was
February 25, 2008

Important notice regarding the proposed Summer 2008 Program: The University of Tennessee learned on February 25, 2008 that the proposed research site did not receive funding from the National Science Foundation.

Students: If you sent an application for this program or were planning to send an application, we strongly encourage you to explore other REUs at:

http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm

In 2003-2004, the University of Tennessee provided a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site called "Biogeochemical Educational Experiences - South Africa" (BEE-SA). Funded by the National Science Foundation, BEE-SA brought together U.S. and South African students and faculty mentors in South Africa to examine the strange and unusual microbial life forms that exist in the deepest mines in the world.


	Above are the 2004 REU participants at the University of Free State campus. Click on the image for a larger view.

The American and South African participants conducted research under the supervision of U.S. and South African faculty, examining biogeochemical processes in South African gold mines. Faculty mentors for this REU represented the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Princeton University, and University of the Free State.

The undergraduate students attended lectures and conducted experimental work at the University of Free State (in Bloemfontein) under the direction of faculty. The main focus of the student instruction and participation was in microbial field sampling, geochemical field measurements, aerobic and anaerobic media preparation, inoculation and incubation, DNA staining and optical microscopy of cells, and GC analyses of water/gas samples. REU participants collected water, soil and biofilm samples from area gold mines to use in their laboratory analyses for their individual research projects.